Crossing Dimensions
by insignficant
Summary: Asha moved to Republic City to begin life anew. But shortly after arrival, an insidious new threat looms over the whole world, and she is forced to face what she ran away from - her past; especially when a certain firebender looks like her late husband... How will the Krew and friends face this new enemy when nobody knows how to stop it? Read and find out! Mako/OC.
1. SYOC!

**A/N: So, guess what? I got a PM earlier this week. The person informed me that FanFiction was in dire need of a SYOC story, and with my writing and knowledge on Avatar, they would be honored if I made a SYOC. So, this is me taking a crack at the idea (hopefully they will enjoy it). The whole story is dedicated to them for being so sweet and for giving me the idea! Here's the summary!**

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Republic City. Such an amazing place to fulfill all your dreams, or create new ones as you progress and grow with the life of the city. You could be pretty much _anything, _if you strived and ascended up the great ladder of success.

Everyone moves to the place for different reasons, but for Asha, Republic City was all about starting over. After the death of her fiancee and child, at only twenty years old, she knew all about heartbreak.

This was the time for her to begin a new life, with twists and turns all along the way. She would meet so many characters, including all of your favorites and amazing, all new ones, created by _you._

Join her on her journey, friends, and with your help, Republic City can stay the center of unity and peace that Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko had intended it to be.

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**CHARACTER APPLICATION:**

Full Name (Make it Avatar-y!):

Nickname (Optional):

Backstory:

Gender:

Age (All ages are welcome!):

Birthday (Optional):

Place of Birth:

Places lived since:

Nationality:

Family:

Mother-

Father-

Siblings-

Relation to canon characters/Asha (Optional):

Love Interest (Optional. You can create your own character or choose a canon one):

**APPEARANCE:**

Height:

Weight:

Skin color:

Hair color:

Hair style (Include little details):

Eye color:

Wears makeup? (If so, what kind do they wear? Ex- eyeshadow, blush, powder):

Birthmarks? (If so, where are they located?):

Any scars? (If so, where are they located?):

Clothing/typical outfits (Every detail is neccessary):

Jewelry:

**FIGHTING:**

Is he/she a bender? How high is their skill?:

If so, what element? (I would prefer for it to only be one):

Are they for/against the Equalist movement? What do they think about it? Are they an Equalist?:

Fighting style?:

Do they use any weapons? (If so, describe):

**IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS:**

Personality:

Likes:

Dislikes:

Strengths:

Weaknesses/Flaws:

Fears:

Habits:

Allies:

Enemies:

**MISC.:**

Any pets?:

Other information:

_(YOU CAN WAIT UNTIL I START ADDING PEOPLE TO THE STORY, THEN WRITE YOUR OC AND CHOOSE THINGS LIKE 'LOVE INTEREST' FROM THE OCs MADE. THAT WOULD BE SUPER FUN, WOULDN'T IT? TO HAVE TWO ORIGINAL CHARACTERS TOGETHER? /SQUEEEEAAAL.)_

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**Here's the summary/character application. If you want to join in the fun, just easily send the application in a review. PM me for any further comments and questions!**

**Also, a perk to getting your characters in first is getting certain characters as family members/love interests. So, if you get them early, you can claim your characters. **

**Also: If you see that someone has already chosen a certain character as family, you can just add yourself, but I don't think it'll work with love interests. So, we can work around that/you can choose someone else. Sorry for any future inconvenience on the matter, but I just wanted to point it out early. **

**I have no idea who Asha will be with, or if she'll even get a love interest, but I really wanted her with Mako, and I'm pondering the idea... decisions, decisions.  
**

**I need a few OCs before I can actually get to the story, and you are very welcome to write a small chapter from your character's point of view so we (I) can get to know them (how you want their personality to be) better, which I can put in the story!**

**Let's just have fun with this and bring this fandom CLOSER TOGETHER!**

**Thanks everyone, and get to filling out those applications/writing!**

**Good luck,**

**Bailee!~**


	2. Chapter 1: Introductions

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asha and other OCs I've created. All OCs belong to their rightful owners, and LOK belongs to Bryke. That is all. **

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**Note: I got 12 applications over the course of two days. It'll be impossible and extremely confusing to me, especially, if I fit 12 CHARACTERS into the first chapter. Your characters will be introduced over a span of this story. How I can fit 12 separate characters into one story, I don't know, but I will figure out a way. So, please don't be upset if you do not see your character in this chapter. I have a storyline, and these are the characters that are beneficial right now, but everyone will be introduced. **

**I ask one thing: tell me the way you want your character to enter this story. That's all I ask. (: **

**On to the story! **

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_**Chapter 1: Introductions**_

Asha wasn't one for the cold. Ever since she didn't have her fiancee, Hatsu, to keep her warm anymore with his firebending, the cold always made an eery shiver creep up her spine. She dreaded it. Always.

So, of course, the one time she decided to move to Republic City, it was during the apex of winter.

It had taken her a few months of working at her parent's restaurant in the Fire Nation, but she managed to scrounge up a thousand yuans. It was enough to get her from the Fire Nation to Republic City, buy new clothes, and rent an apartment until she could get on her feet and find a job.

As Asha waved goodbye to her newly acquainted co-workers outside the restaurant where they worked, she tightened the coat around her and headed from her small apartment.

The twenty-year-old was still getting used to being a widow, and was still grieving the loss of her two-year-old daughter named Akira. It was hard going home every night and not getting to hear "Mommy! Mommy!" at the door, or feel the kisses from Hatsu.

It seemed like everything was so difficult these days.

Asha was just hoping she could start a new life in Republic City and leave everything else behind as a lost dream.

As she approached the run down apartment buildings housing her own, Ash fetched her keys from the pocket of her coat. She glanced up from her searching and noticed a tall girl sitting on the apartment complex steps.

She pulled her hands free and tugged the fur hood over her head, tucking the stray auburn locks behind her ears. The woman ambled her way towards the girl and sat beside the dark haired beauty.

"Is everything okay?" she whispered, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders. When there was nothing but silence, she spoke again. "My name's Asha. Asha Shiroka."

The girl looked up at Asha with a cold expression on her face, then it quickly softened when Ash smiled. "I'm Ariadne," the girl whispered.

Asha drew Ariadne into a soft hug. "It's great to meet you... How about about we get out of this cold weather?" Ariadne nodded her head in agreement.

* * *

The smell of chicken and noodles wafted throughout the apartment, sending the women's nostrils in a frenzy.

"What is that smell?" Ariadne asked, rising from her place on the couch. She walked over to where Asha was, at the stove, flipping some grilled chicken.

"I brought leftovers home from the restaurant where I work. I figured you were hungry, so I decided to cook 'em up," Asha replied with a cheery smile.

Kari suddenly appeared at the front door and sniffed the air. "Something smells good."

"Chicken," Asha smiled. "Can you get some plates from that cabinet?"

Kari nodded her head and walked over to the cabinet housing their glass plates only used for special occasions.

Asha sighed before turning off the stove and sitting the skillet on an unheated burner. "Where were you all day? You've been gone since I left for work this morning!"

"You know I go for walks alot. I just wanted to be alone, okay?" Kari sat three plates on the kitchen table, in front of the chairs.

"You just worried me, okay? I'm pretty much your guardian now, ya know." The older woman flashed Kari a smirk. "Now, Ariadne, I want you to pick out some clothes from my closet for you to sleep in. I'll get some blankets," Asha ordered before smiling warmly.

Ariadne smiled along with her. She had a good feeling about this woman. Asha seemed so... motherly.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Ariadne walked over to the window, admiring the beautiful view of Yue Bay from the apartment on the seventh floor.

Ash walked over to the window and stood beside the stranger. "Why wouldn't I be? You were freezing to death on the steps of this apartment. And my door is welcome to anyone." Asha suddenly felt two hands spin her around before she was crushed against someone (who was much taller than her).

"Thank you," Ariadne whispered before releasing her and walking to Asha's bedroom.

"You're too kind for your own good," Kari said matter-of-factly from the doorway of her bedroom.

"I know..."

"I feel bad for her, too and all, but if this girl is some murderer and kills us during the night, it's going on your conscience. You need to be more rational, Ash."

Asha walked over and wrapped an arm around the young girl's shoulders. "I rely on my gut and instinct. Not that... rational stuff." She wrinkled her nose in mock disgust before skipping to her bedroom. "Emotions are the best way to go!"

* * *

Yuri tapped her pencil against the top of her desk, ignoring the ministries from her professor.

This was the most boring part of the academy - the lessons. She wanted to fight, not sit there and read on the Fire Nation's culture for three hours a day. Yuri hated reading. She felt like burning the stupid books.

"Okay, class, I better see you taking notes! All of this will be on the exam next week, and I won't give you any second chances if you fail," Professor Wei yelled, sliding the glasses down the bridge of his nose. "That goes for you too, Miss Yuri."

Yuri grumbled and slammed her writing utensil down on the desk. "But writing hurts," she protested quietly.

/

"Soooo, how was learning today?" Bolin asked her once she was down the academy's steps.

"Learning was just like every other day - really boring." She absentmindedly rubbed her hand. "And it hurts."

Bolin raised an eyebrow but quickly dismissed her last comment. "So I was thinking, since all this Equalist stuff is over, a bunch of us are going out to Narook's to celebrate and I was wondering... If you could come with."

"As long as you don't have a date," Yuri joked.

"Nope. I am a free man!"

"Okay then. I accept your invitation." Yuri stretched out her arm and Bolin interlocked his with hers.

"Tomorrow at 7:00."

"See you there," Yuri said, waving as Bolin walked down the street. A light blush covered her cheeks and she covered her face with her hand.

* * *

"I'm not walking another step! We've been walking around this city for an hour looking for this 'Ryu' person." Ariadne planted her feet on the pavement and crossed her arms. Her feet were killing her and she was hungry as a moose-lion.

Asha frowned and took a deep breath. "I really need to find my friend. He's the only person that can take me somewhere."

Ariadne pouted her lower lip. "I guess since you were so nice to me, I could let you find your friend." She straightened up and smiled. "So, do you have any kids?"

Asha wrapped her arms around herself and smiled sadly. "I had a little girl. She would be two this month."

Kari tensed up, though barely visible to anyone else. She knew it was a touchy subject for Ash. The older woman rarely talked about her family.

"You said 'had'. Did she die or something?"

Kari mentally face-palmed herself, but remained calm in front of the two women... for Asha's sake.

"Akira was killed in a boating accident a few months ago, as was my fiancé." The widow raised a thin eyebrow. "Why would you ask if I had kids?"

"It's obvious," Kari deadpanned. "You're as motherly as a person can get."

Ariadne nodded her head in agreement and smiled, adding, "A real role model."

"That's not always a bad thing, ya know," Ash said. "And thank you, Ariadne."

"Call me Aria," Ariadne replied.

"Okay, Ar-"

The ground in front of them was abruptly split open and out jumped Ryu and his friends. Asha and Aria fell back to the ground, while Kari just stood there, barely phased by the event.

Ryu adjusted his goggles to sit atop his head like they had originally been and dusted off the arms of his trench coat.

"Jeez, Ryu! You scared the crap out of me!" Asha rose to her feet and lightly nudged his shoulder.

Ryu flashed her a bright smile. "Sorry, Ash. I've heard you've been looking for me?"

"Yeah." She wiped the dust off his back and rubbed his face free of any dirt. "I wanted to show my new friend the amazing tunnels you built. And I was thinking... maybe if she liked it, she could stay there? Just until Aria got back on her feet, of course!"

Ryu was silent for a few beats, then he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't mind. As long as she doesn't mess anything up, it's fine with me."

Aria grabbed Asha by her shoulder and pulled her back beside her. "I was kinda wanting to stay with you. Being with guys... I - No. It's not a good idea."

Asha turned her head far enough to see Ryu raise a small pillar of earth and lean against it with his arm. "But he's really -"

"You're the only person I can trust, Asha!" Ariadne pleaded.

The widow smiled, mainly to herself, before pulling the girl in for a hug. "Okay, you can stay. But I'll need some help around the house!"

* * *

Asha awoke with a gasp. Beads of sweat dotted her brow and her heart was racing inside her chest. Tears stained her cheeks and a sob choked her throat.

She had that dream again.

"Are you okay?" asked a whispering voice. The woman looked over and recognized it as Ariadne.

Ash smiled and threw her legs over the side of the bed. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Are you sure? I heard screaming and -"

"I just had a bad dream, Aria. That's all," she replied, a little more rudely than intended.

Ariadne walked over to her bed and sat down. "You're a really strong person, ya know. Having to deal with everything you've been through."

Asha chuckled and rose to her feet. "There are alot of people that have had to endure worse things... Like losing their parents."

Aria raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Like who?"

"Well - when I first came down here, I met someone. He was very nice - well, nice for the whole ten minutes we talked," she giggled, "Anyways, I told him where I had come from and he asked me why I came here. I told him about the passing of my family, and he told me about his parents and how they were killed."

"Have you talked to him since?"

"No. I don't even know his name," Asha shrugged.

Aria just pursed her lips and nodded her head. She followed Asha into the living room where Kari and Ryu were seated.

"It's about time you woke up," Ryu teased, adding a smile.

"You should look at the paper this morning," Kari added, nodding to the newspaper on the coffee table.

Asha furrowed her eyebrows reluctantly, but strode over to the paper and picked it up.

The headline read:

'**_REPUBLIC CITY - AFTERMATH OF AMON_**'

She skimmed through the paragraphs, the words barely registering.

"An uprising?" she asked quietly. "A bender uprising..."

"Yeah," Kari shrugged. "I guess the benders are tired of taking crap from non-benders and are making sure it won't happen again."

Asha took a deep, shaky breath when she read one specific paragraph in the paper. "It seems as if benders are fighting back ever since the fall of Amon. Over 15 non-benders were found killed last week only."

Everyone just nodded their heads.

"That's only one of the minor issues," Ryu added, his happy mood visibly falling.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for the (crappy) first chapter! (:**

**I probably butchered your characters, didn't I? If I got the personality wrong, or your chracters wouldn't say something that they said, or anything like that, PM me and I'll fix it! **

**So, I think I have a storyline, but I don't wanna reveal too much yet. I'm still working on it. **

**Also, I forgot to put Asha's Character Application in, but it doesn't really matter. If you REALLY wanna see it, just tell me. xD**

**My birthday is this Sunday, so happy early birthday to me! (:**

**Um, I think that's all. Just for the chracters that haven't been introduced yet, tell me the way you want them to enter the story. It's easier on me. **

**Until next time,**

**Bailee~**


	3. Chapter 2: The Evil Lives

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asha and other OCs I've created. All OCs belong to their rightful owners, and LOK belongs to Bryke. That is all.**

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_**Chapter 2: The Evil Lives**_

He crawled up onto the shore, burned, bloodied and broken. The pain from the large burns covering half of his body finally subsided when he buried himself in the snow, a sudden relieved sigh released from his lips.

How ironic the whole situation was.

This was not how things should have went. He was supposed to BEAT the Avatar, then continue his reign of Republic City as Amon; the whole plan wasn't supposed to literally blow up in his face, then he be revealed as Noatak and his character become utterly destroyed. And then his brother - he shuddered when he thought about it. Tarrlok hadn't survived... but Noatak did - barely. Why? Spirits' didn't even know. His BROTHER was the good one, not him. Noatak dug his hands in the snow and pulled himself through the wet substance little by little. He was in no condition to walk, and snow wasn't the greatest substance for traction.

He only had one goal at this point - get to his wife and son. His child was a waterbender like himself, so he was sure of his son's healing abilities.

The family was located at a secret bunker in Republic City, on a small island off Yue Bay. Nobody knew about it but him and his family. It was the only place they could go and be... normal. He and Kira could act like husband and wife and spend time with their son, and he didn't have to wear that mask all the time.

He always hated that mask.

"Noatak!" his wife's muffled voice called to him. He heard her footsteps crunching in the snow, but was too far into unconsciousness to register that it was her - and that he was safe.

* * *

"Slow circles, son! You cannot rush something like this," Noatak reprimanded.

"Don't yell at him, Noatak. He doesn't know what he's doing, for spirits' sake."

The young Noa visibly winced as his father pushed his hands off his burned shoulder, causing the glowing water to spill to the floor.

"I'll do it myself," the man grumbled, standing up from his place on the kitchen table. Kira stopped him with a hand to his chest, then pushed him back down.

"It isn't his fault your half-assed plan failed." Kira pressed a cold cloth to the side of her husband's neck in an attempt to clean off the dried blood. "I just can't believe everything went downhill so fast..."

"Me either."

Noa stepped forward and placed a small hand on his father's good shoulder. "I'm sorry, Dad. If only I was a better healer..."

The man thought back to the memories of him and his brother, and how harshly their father treated them. Noatak shook his head to shake away the terrible memories. "No! Don't say things like that... It wasn't your fault at all." He placed his hand over the boy's. "I didn't mean to yell at you."

Noa smiled brightly and looked up to his mother. "Dad's awesome, isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," she replied, chuckling. "Sometimes." Noa giggled, and it sounded like beautiful wind chimes to the parents' ears.

* * *

Asha strolled down the street with her hands in the pockets of her coat, whistling happily to herself. It seemed like things were truly looking up for her; she had found a brand new friend that she greatly liked, had gotten even closer with her previous ones, and the nightmares weren't as bad as they used to be. The clouds were finally drifting away and the sun was getting to shine it's beautiful rays over her life.

She spoke too soon.

As she was adjusting her bag - containing all of the savings from her shift at work - to her other shoulder, it was ripped from her hands and a shoulder knocked her down onto her back. Ash turned around to see a hooded man taking off down the street, holding her bag.

"You have got to be kidding me!" she shrieked. He was already too far away down the street for her to catch him. "If only I had bending right about now," Ash grumbled as she lifted herself up off the ground. Her palms were scraped up from where she used them to brace herself from the fall, even though she still ended up on her back.

"Excuse me ma'am." Asha turned to the voice, not sure if they were speaking to her. A man with pale skin and red hair towered above her, holding her stolen bag. "Is this yours?"

Ash let out a cry and grabbed her purse from the man's hand, pulling it to her chest. "Yes, yes, thank you so much! How can I ever repay you? Oh, you are so nice. I wish there were more people like you in Republic City - No, the whole world! Everything would be so much better! People would wave and say "hello" and-"

"I have to go. You're welcome," the man said with a puzzled expression on his face, turning away from her; he walked away.

"So sweet," she said, replacing the bag on her arm. "Wait - I didn't even get his-"

"Sigil!" the man who returned her bag suddenly called from down the street. "My name is Sigil!"

Asha rose an eyebrow. "Such an odd, yet... unique name."

* * *

"Leiko!" Mira called from the back of the family's pottery shop.

Said girl looked up from the newspaper she was reading and sat up from the bench she was laying on. "What is it, mother?"

Mira appeared beside her and snatched the paper out of the girl's hand. "Stop dilly-dallying around, Lei. There are customers that need to be taken care of!"

Leiko made a face at her mother before rising from the bench at the front of the store. She noticed a girl around 5'2 with auburn hair lift up a clay bowl and examine it, then sit it back down on the display table.

Lei walked over to the girl and tapped her on the shoulder. "Can I help you?"

Asha jumped and turned to see a pretty girl with dark brown hair and pale blue eyes. "Oh, hi there! I just wanted to buy a pottery vase for my mother." The widow ghosted her hand over the items on the table with a small smile. "It's her thirty-eighth birthday this month and she loves hand-made items."

Leiko stared intently at the girl's face. She knew her from somewhere! Her auburn hair, cyan eyes, light skin...

"Wait, your dad invented the _television_, didn't he?"

Asha laughed. "The mechanical television? Yeah, he did."

Lei gasped. "That is so cool! I knew I recognized you from somewhere." A grin snuck it's way onto her lips. "So, how about that vase for your mother?"

* * *

Her mother would love this! Everything about it was perfect. The gold details in the paint contrasted with it's red overtone beautifully, and it was the perfect size for Kisa's dragon lilies, which were particularly large...

"That's beautiful," Ariadne gushed, running her fingers around the top of the vase. "Your mom will love it."

"Thank you," Asha said. "What do you think, Kari?"

The dark skinned girl shrugged her shoulders. "It's pretty."

They were walking along the street to Narook's. So how did Kari and Ariadne get there? Well, after almost being robbed, Asha ran home and hid in her bedroom for an hour - because of how paranoid she's always been. Kari found her in there and told her to get up, because they were going out to Narook's. Ryu, Ariadne, Kari and Asha all left the widow's apartment to go eat. They made a little pitstop at the pottery shop on the way and that's when she got her mother's vase while everyone stayed outside.

As the four friend's entered the restaurant, Asha was wrapping up the vase to stuff it back into her bag. She walked forward, and of course, because she wasn't looking, Ash ran straight into someone. Her vase fell out of her hand and shattered on impact.

"Hey, watch where you're going," a male voice muttered rudely. In his defense, Asha did run right into him.

She looked up and her brain went completely blank; the words on the tip of her tongue came out as quiet sputters.

_He... It's him. It's him! N-n-n-no. Hatsu is DEAD! But - they look so much alike!_

"Well? Aren't you gonna say sorry?" the man snapped, folding his arms across his chest. He towered above her with an annoyed expression on his face.

They had the same eyes...

"Bu... I - Duh, um. Huh, yeah. Uh - I'm - I'm really..." Asha took a deep, shaky breath; she gave up on trying to apologize. "Impossible."

The man raised an eyebrow. "What are you-"

"Hey, bro! What... Oh." A guy appeared beside him - one who looked eerily familiar to Asha. "Hey you!" The boy smiled and patted her on the back.

The girl raised an eyebrow. "Have we met before?"

"I'm Bolin. We... talked a couple months ago-"

"You introduced me to the city!" Asha exclaimed, suddenly remembering the night she came into town - when they had stumbled upon each other.

She finally had a name for the face that had been so welcoming and nice. He was the one that made her think twice about Republic City - with all of the bad things her parents had told her about it to veer her away (the violence of the Equalists and everything else going on).

"- And this is my brother, Mako," Bolin added. Asha had been too wrapped up in her thoughts to hear what he was saying.

When she looked at Mako, her gaze lowered to the floor and she felt a pang of sadness in her gut.

Bolin noted her sudden change in demeanor and furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Hey, you okay?" he asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Asha just shook her head and forced a small smile to grace her lips. Kari stepped forward and clasped her hands behind her back.

"Your brother looks strikingly similar to her dead husband," the girl explained inattentively. She never knew when to just be quiet.

"Kari," Asha hissed under her breath. "You can't just go around telling everyone-"

"I'm really sorry about that," Mako interjected suddenly, surprising everyone in the group. He then turned away and walked back to - Asha was just assuming - his table.

"He's a real charmer," Kari deadpanned, but then inwardly cowered when she saw Asha shoot her the look of Agni herself. If only looks could kill, the blue eyed girl would be sprawled along the floor - and walls - in a million pieces.

Bolin awkwardly cleared his throat and adjusted his collar, even though it was nowhere near his neck, let alone needing to be adjusted.

"You know I hate when people talk about my family - especially the dead ones!" the widow yelled, a momentary look of remorse flickered in her eyes. "I'm trying to forget that..."

Kari scowled. "I'm sorry. Sometimes I forget to put my foot in my mouth," she grumbled.

Of the eight months Asha had known the younger girl, many times had Kari brought up her past to unknown strangers. She would say things that were completely innapropriate, and Asha constantly had to correct her when she slipped up. There was an incident at her friend's funeral - the widow shuddered at the memory - it was bad enough that it got the two girls a slap in the face.

"Weeeeeell," Bolin's cheery voice cut through the silence. "I'd better get back to my friends. Any of you wanna join us?"

* * *

Everyone but Kari was having a good time. Ryu and Bolin started up an interesting conversation about their animals, Ariadne was sitting comfortably beside Asha - she wasn't a "stranger" person -, and Asha was laughing with Asami about something and was attempting to not gawk at Mako across from her (because it looked like Hatsu was alive again, that's how much the firebenders resembled each other). But Kari couldn't help but brood in the corner and snap at anyone who tried to talk to her. Why?

Her sister was there.

Korra. Ugh, how sick Kari got of hearing that name. It was the name that haunted her childhood for years. Korra was always the better bender, the better child, the better PERSON. But how could one compete with the Avatar?

Exactly. You couldn't...

When Kari felt a hand lightly press against her back - Asha, no guess -, she wanted to rip their limb off.

"Are you okay, sweetie? You look hurt..." The woman who had taken Kari in was the only person that knew the extent of her bad childhood. She was also the person that could make Kari feel a tad bit better - only a TAD.

"Your observing skills are impeccible, Oh Great Spirit," Kari retorted with a snort. "We should call you Agni."

Asha smiled brightly. "You think so? Oh, wow that's-" She was interrupted when Ryu nudged her arm with his elbow.

"She was being sarcastic," the earthbender informed, his cheeks turning pink out of embarrassment... for her.

Laughs erupted from the small table - more Bolin and Korra than anyone. Asha and the others just chuckled awkwardly, unknowing of what to do. They didn't really know these people. So why were most of them being so nice?

Ryu and Asha just shook it off and accepted their hospitality, but Kari wasn't buying it... People weren't nice to just be _nice_. There was always some ulterior motive behind a kind action. Always.

Korra wiped a tear from her eye and turned her attention to the sister she hadn't seen in so long. Kari had grown up to be so... pretty. The Avatar was perplexed at how their fates - everyone's! - had intwined all so coincidentally.

But it only takes an action like, say, a smoke bomb busting through the window, to test how trustworthy the people around you could be.

The bomb rolled into the middle of the restaurant and everyone inside froze in utter confusion. It's like everyone asked the same question: "What just happened?"

It wasn't until the bomb actually exploded and engulfed the room in dense smoke that people began panicking and trying to escape. The table containing the Krew and Ash and Friends got the brunt of the explosion, and was where the most smoke was collecting.

Everyone coughed and sputtered a few moments before sweet air filled their lungs. Their table was completely clear of the nasty smoke as Korra enveloped them in a large air ball.

"Thank you, Korra and that beautiful thing called airbending," Ryu gasped, clutching his chest.

Everything was fine. Until a masked dude snuck up behind Asha and pulled her into the opaque atmosphere by her hair. She screamed bloody murder, and everyone was immediately on guard.

"Who screamed?" Bolin wondered, twisting his head around to see who was missing from the group.

"Asha," Ryu replied hastily. He scanned the dense room for a sign of her in the crowd.

"No," Ariadne whispered breathlessly. "We'll never find her in this crowd."

Asha tried to scream at them that she was right beside the table. The woman could actually touch them if she wanted - or rather, could.

"Non-benders are a mutiny and a hazard to this city!" a voice called from the smoke. The same voice that belonged to the person choking the widow. "Just because Amon is gone doesn't mean the idea of him will ever be! It'll never stop, Avatar! Not until we destroy every last one of his little minions..."

* * *

Tarrlok had survived. He wanted to believe his brother had survived the explosion without a scratch on his body.

But things didn't turn up the way the previously-named Amon had planned. It seemed like a pattern - one that would teach a great deal of suffering to the man in destiny's headlights.

"I have to try again, brother. The - the first time didn't end as planned, but I have this feeling." Noatok rose from his bed and walked over to the window over-looking Republic City. "I can beat the Avatar this time."

The hallacination-induced Tarrlok stepped beside his former and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Not without help, dear brother."

The burned man squinted his eyes in concentration. What was his brother talking about?

Tarrlok leaned towards the man and was so close, Noatok felt the breath on his neck. He spoke one word: "Spirits."

* * *

**A/N: First of all, AJSJOQPAOCISKSJ. THANKYOU THANKYOU THANKYOU. I am so amazing and just in awe at everyone's support with this story. Thank EVERY. SINGLE. ONE OF YOU. For adding this story to your alerts/faves and adding ME (WERE YOU ON CRACK?) to your alerts/faves. And MOST IMPORTANTLY: YOUR REVIEWS ARE ABSOLUTELY PERFECT AND AMAZING AND I SERIOUSLY COULD NOT KEEP GOING WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT! I am so happy so many people love this story.**

**Thank you for all the birthday wishes, also! It was amazing! (And a reason why this chapter was a little delayed.)**

**So, now to the order of business, for the time being, I am not accepting any applications. Well, I'll accept them, but your characters won't be used for a long time. I still need to flesh out everything else. **

**I'll also be introducing new characters every other chapter, so you guys won't be so overwhelmed and confused. Don't be mad at me if I don't use your OC right away. Not my fault you turds are so impatient. x)**

**So, ideas/comments/questions/concerns? PM me all that. I love to hear feedback. **

**Speaking of feedback... how have I done with characters so far? Do you like this story? Reviewing would be nice. Without reviews I wouldn't get an incentive to write another letter to this thing. I want to know what people think. So... Review. For me. I'll love you forever! (:**

**But, until next time!**

**Bailee~**


	4. Chapter 3: The Black Lotus

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asha and other OCs I've created. All OCs belong to their rightful owners, and LOK belongs to Bryke. That is all.**

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**A/N: I just wanna thank EVERYONE SO. MUCH. for your support and reviews and aixjkskdkxk. I just appreciate you guys so much. Because I seriously would not write another letter o this thing without the support. That being said, I have to say something:**

**_Warning: This chapter is pretty disturbing. A lot of violence and cussing ahead. Read at your own expense!_**

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**_Chapter 3: The Black Lotus_**

It was safe to say that Asha had never been more scared in her twenty years than she was right now. But in her defense, if someone had you strapped to a chair in the middle of a metal room with no illumination whatsoever, resulting in complete confusion of your own whereabouts, how would you react?

A metal door opened with a creak, sounding a lot like the eery moaning of a killer ghost. The non-bender visibly cringed as a bright light from the hallway filtered into the room. She saw faint glimpses of blue, red and green. Shirts, maybe?

"Asha Shiroka," a deep voice announced blatantly. Said girl abruptly felt two hands press on the arms of her chair, his palms covering her wrists. "I'm guessing it's this pretty little lady?" The smell of smoke lingered on the man's breath. Cigarettes. Gross.

"Leave her alone!" a feminine voice shrieked from across the room. Ash recognized it as Ariadne.

What was she doing there? What the heck HAPPENED that brought them here?

The non-bender heard the man snarl. "Shut up, you little cunt! This talk is for adults!"

When Ash heard the man talk to Aria like that, something inside her snapped. Her motherly instincts kicked in; she saw Ariadne as her own daughter, so it felt like a slap in the face. She finally found her voice, and knew exactly what to say to that sick excuse of a man. "Don't talk to her like that, you scum! Who kidnaps two girls anyways? Only low-life perverts who have nothing else to do, you son of a-" She was suddenly cut off when the man's palm belted her across the cheek. Her eyes watered from the stinging of her skin and she didn't realize until a few seconds later that the cries ringing in her ears belonged to HER.

"You should learn your place when talking to authorities, Asha," the (apparent) officer warned. When she tried to wrench herself away from him, the man bravely pressed his lips to her stinging cheek and stroked her skin like a silent apology. Except, the action felt more mocking than anything; as if he was saying, "I can do whatever I want with you and you can't do a damn thing about it!"

Ash heard another voice say, "The more you cry, Ash, the more he's gonna antagonize you!" Kari was there, too? Oh, great.

The whole room was filled with a monotonous buzz for a long minute, then was followed by a streak of light filling everyone's vision. Their eyes had to slowly adjust, considering they were previously blinded in the darkness.

The three girls slowly opened their eyes to an unforgiving sight. Not only were Asha, Kari, and Ariadne tied up, but so was Ryu, Bolin, Korra, Mako, and Asami. Ash was right in the middle of the row of her friends; Mako on one side, Asami on the other. Metalbending officers leaned against every inch of wall in the large room, weapons at ready.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

The man lounged in a dark leather chair, a glass of scotch in one hand and a cigar in the other. The way he gracefully held himself - even as he simply sat down - and the confidence in his eyes signified the man as suave and prideful. The smirk on his lips never faded, as if he was completely oblivious to the horrendous news that had just been announced by his messenger. He adjusted the collar of his suit and cleared his throat.

The man sat his drink down on the arm of the chair and rose; the bones in his knees cracked from the sudden movement of his legs.

He paused for a moment. "... Burned, you say?" A malignant grin cursed his lips.

The messenger cringed and stammered. "S - sir! It was one of your fellow brothers, just as I. How can you be taking this so lightly?"

"I can take it just as lightly if I were to kill you, Jesmer," the leader jeered. There was a pregnant pause. "Shall we test that theory?"

The runt dropped to his knees, and it was as if his body moved on it's own accord. His neck craned back painfully, the muscles stretching like taffy in a taffy machine. All of the blood in his body seemed to slowly drain from every orifice the man had.

"Since people can't tell secrets from the grave, I figured I'd end your life on a happy note. No cliffhangers for you to wish you knew." The leader stepped closer and kneeled in front of his inferior, squeezing his fist together insidiously, as if he was slowly draining a star lemon of it's juices. Replace star lemon with Jesmer and juices with blood, and you would get the whole situation. "I killed him! I killed Alamour. Do you want to know why, Jesmer? That son of a bitch was getting in my way of finding Miss Shiroka. Just think about it! She matches the description perfectly... her husband and child died in a drowning, a mysterious boy suddenly showing up looking exactly like her previous love... It all fits, Jesmer. I couldn't let Alamour get it in the way of my intentions if it was her, now could I?"

Jesmer choked on the blood rising in his throat, unable to respond even if he wanted to. He knew that he was mere seconds away from death by the grizzly look in his killer's eyes. But to his leader, it was just another man needing to be replaced. Even with cold blood on Demour's hands, he wouldn't even turn an eye to the bloodshed. Because the leader was chi-thirsty; it was evident in the way he carried himself - the paleness of his face, the way his teeth had been sharpened for days like a vampire just looking for a neck to sink it's teeth into.

"You're weak," Demour hissed into Jesmer's ear. His breath was cold and hostile against the dying man's neck. "And that's why you must die, my brother."

Demour pressed his palm against the runt's forehead and inhaled a deep, satisfied breath. He felt the man's chi crawl up his arm and settle into the pit of his stomach, churning contently. It was very weak compared to other's chi he had drained, but filling nonetheless. The runt sucked in a harsh breath before collapsing in a pool of his own warm, red blood.

It looked appetizing.

* * *

"Tell us why you're keeping us here," Korra demanded. She leaned forward in her chair and growled at their captor, pullling at the bindings around her hands. The Avatar was trying to look as menacing as possible, in hoping that he might let them go.

"It's not you I'm worried about, Avatar," their kindnapper replied with a smug grin. "It's that pretty non-bending friend of yours EVERYONE is worried about."

Asha was taken aback by his response and blinked in confusion. "What have I done that people are so worried about me?" she whispered.

The officer turned towards her and his smile faded. "Republic City is still shaken up about the Equalists, my dear. Have you not seen the papers? The citizens are killing every non-bender they can find." He walked over to her chair, put his hands on her thighs, and leaned down until they were at eye-level. "It's only a matter of time, my dear, before they find you... and they slaughter you like a warrior would a tigerseal."

The emotionless voice that the man used scared Asha more than anything. It was the simple fact that he acted as if he had no problem confronting her about her possible death.

"You look a lot like someone I know," the officer said with narrowed eyes. He grinned malignantly and glanced over at Mako sitting beside her. "I bet you could say the same thing about him, too, huh?"

"Okay, Nauru. Settle down tiger." The Commander stalked into the room with a confident smile on his face, his hands clasped behind his black. As his Earth Kingdom armor was ripped from his chest by the metalbending Nauru seamlessly performed, his soldiers huddled around their higher authority. The Commander's smiled fadedly quickly, as if it was never there at all. "I suggest you let my niece go, if you know what's good for you..."

* * *

"Uncle, you're seriously a life saver," Asha praised her family member with a tentative rub of her chafed wrists. "I thought that officer was gonna do something terrible to us."

The large group of friends - acquaintances, is more like it - had just been released from the clutches of one of the metalbending officers by Asha's uncle, Commander Karou from the Earth Kingdom. Yeah, a METALBENDING officer kidnapped them. That's how low the politics had come to after the all-out Equalist war had ended. The city was still in full-out aftershock mode, and would be for a few months, to everyone's dismay.

The Commander wrapped a confident, muscled arm around his niece. "Not on my watch, kiddo!" he replied, ruffling her hair. Ash protested with a hearty giggle and a swipe of her hand to force away his.

Ariadne, on the other hand, wasn't in such high spirits. She wasn't very keen on the idea of a man being that close to her, reguardless of how kind his niece was. It was just something that marred her mind for years - the idea of men in general...

Asha lightly elbowed the younger girl with a playful smile on her face, as if she sensed her wariness and was saying, "it's okay, he's not gonna hurt you". Aria relaxed a little and expelled the breath she realized she hadn't been holding until now.

Bolin and the girl named Yuri sauntered up behind the warrior and two girls. "I still can't believe that your mom's brother is a Commader!" he said to Asha, the childish gleam in his eyes evident with curiosity. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Yuri quirked an eyebrow. "Maybe it's the fact that we haven't known her but a couple hours, Bo. Do you expect to hear the backstory and family tree of every stranger you meet?" she snorted playfully.

The earthbender poked Yuri in her bicep. "As a matter of fact, Miss _Smarty Pants_, I wouldn't mind it when you're practical royalty."

"It's my other brother that's the king," Karou interjected with a raise of his hand.

Asha face-palmed and a smile played on the corners of her lips. He acted like such a child sometimes.

"Even better," Bolin laughed.

The Commander veered Asha aside using his grip on her shoulders to steer her away from everyone else in the group. He cleared his throat and glared at her suspiciously with cyan eyes identical to hers. Asha's heart fluttered in her chest; that look meant trouble.

"I thought you said your husband had passed away," he hissed, the addled tone in his voice making Asha furrow her eyebrows. Karou eyed the man named Mako with piqued interest. Thankfully - for Ash - he didn't even notice or return the stare.

"Hatsu _is_ dead, Uncle-"

"There's no way. It looks like he's standing right there! Why would the Spirits make someone so identical to another person?"

The non-bender put a finger on her lips to signal the older man into silence. "I don't know if you realize this, but you're talking really loud, which is attracting a lot of unwanted attention..." she finally said after he stopped his ranting. The Commander crossed his arms and shook his head in awe.

"What?"

"You're an exact replica of your mother," he explained, then placed a large hand on her shoulder. "I am _so_ sorry, Ash."

"For what?" said-girl asked cheerily, her lips breaking out into a grin.

Karou raised his hands to the heavens, as if to say, "_why_, Spirits, did you leave me with her!" Everyone stared at him like he was one hallucination away from insanity. He just sighed heavily.

"... Welp, like they say, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree!"

* * *

The shadow clawed it's way aimlessly up Demour's leg, a silent beg to it's master; if only he had been so compassionate as to let something so large slide.

He visibly seethed, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. More than once he had been reminded that the useless shadowy figure could not be killed or drained of it's chi - so it was worthless for the leader to be so obtuse at the moment. Because his minion was just that - worthless.

"What do you mean 'she got away'?" Demour barked angrily, despite his trying calmness.

The figure circled around his back and stretched out on his shoulders. "Before I could examine her, sire, that uncle of hers swooped in and took her," the shadow quietly explained.

The man growled and swatted the figure away, turning it to dust. It appeared a few seconds later, in the same position it originally lay - to his consternation.

"Sir, I - I'll get the girl! Just don't hurt me!" the shadow pleaded.

"Shut up, you useless wretch!" The leader stiffly rose from his place on the large chair and walked through the complete nothingness, exactly where the man resided - a plane of nothing but darkness. There were no such thing as mercy or feelings, and definitely not these beautiful human creatures that Desmer liked so much. Nothing but useless shadows roamed through the eery plane - his world.

"I will get the girl," he started, voice filled with a sharpness worse than broken glass. "And I will make her mine."

"Sire-"

Demour waved his hand as a sign of dismissal of the shadowy figure. "I shall give you another vessel to lure the girl. And if you find her, bring her friends; they are just as important to my goal."

"Maybe I could use the Fire Ferret boy. She seems very drawn to him..."

"Maybe later, when they grow more acquainted..." An insidious smile played his lips. "But for now, you will need a new face, and I will tell you exactly how to reel her in..."

* * *

**A/N: Ahem. Yeah. I'm sorry for this being so short, buuuut it leads up to the main plot for the rest of this story. This si the chapter that starts it ALL. Interesting, eh? **

**So, who is this Demour? What does he want with Asha and Mako? How does everyone else play into this? What exactly is the Black Lotus and why did I name this chapter after it (even though it was never mentioned)? **

**I'm sure not telling you! You'll have to wait for the next chapter! But I have to say that more of Asha's family comes into play! By the way, how cool was it to get more into her family tree? **

**BUUUT, I don't how long the wait will be for the next installment cause I'm having terrible family issues (my mom getting put in jail and stuff). How about you review and make me feel better? Comments, questions, concerns? Your theory on what's going on? PM me, or...**

**REVIEW! I WILL LOVE YOU FOREVER!**


	5. Chapter 4: Insidious Plans

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Asha and other OCs I've created. All OCs belong to their rightful owners, and LOK belongs to Bryke. That is all.**

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**A/N: Okay, in advance, I have to apologize if this chapter sucks. I've just been extremely depressed lately with my family and all, and I had to force myself to write this. But thank all of you for waiting!**

**But on a happier note, I really appreciate all the supportive reviews last chapter. It makes me feel like people actually... care about this story, I guess, and is the only reason I even felt like writing this. I guess I was suprised to get such good feedback, is all! But yeah, THANK YOU SO FREAKING MUCH! **

**Well, anyways, I guess you might wanna read the chapter, huh? **

_**WARNING: The beginning of this chapter is really graphic, so proceed with caution!**_

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**_Chapter 4: Insidious Plans_**

There were certain things that she loved about bloodbending: the way the non-benders bones cracked and snapped as she wrung out their bodies like a mop, the screams as her victims begged for mercy, the feeling of their hearts palpitate by her hand - it was just some of the things she loved. She felt so powerful, being able to control a living creature with no more than a raise of her finger.

A wry smile ghosted over her lips as she flicked her wrist upward. Her victim's cry of pain made the girl chuckle menacingly. The sound of the blood being manipulated would make any normal person sick, but it only spurred her on further. She could feel the lungs of the non-bender expand and collapse with rapid succession, showing the terror he felt that made his blood race.

"Please. Have mercy on me," the man begged in a choked cry. "I have a wife, a little girl!"

"Not my problem," the girl said in a mocking tone of voice.

She twisted her wrist, gaining another cry of pain from the man... how weak he was. His stomach had twisted into a literal knot from her doings, wrenching and squirming in an attempt to right itself again. The man was trying to fight her. She could feel his bones creak in protest, and he gritted his teeth to bite back a cry as she inflicted yet another set of painful injuries on his body, her attentions aimed at constricting the blood in his lungs to cut off his oxygen.

"Stupid, weak non-bender," the girl said in a singsong voice. "Just like the rest of your kind."

As she released the iron grip on his lungs, she felt the man take long, deep breaths; his lungs expanding and contracting as he caught his breath.

"Who are you?" he breathed, trying to fight the control she had on his body. "And why are you doing this?"

The girl expelled a harsh cackle from her lips and threw her head back. "Like you don't know who I am!" A long silence made her grit her teeth in frustration before she added, "My name is Nieve, and I'm here to get rid of useless non-benders... Starting with you..."

Nieve curled her fingers into a fist, bringing all the blood to gather around his heart. She clenched harder, until her knuckles turned a bloodless white. With each passing second, the pressure around his heart grew, and the man choked and sputtered as the organ spasmed rapidly.

Nieve had his heart in a vice-like grip, as if she were reaching within the man's chest. The girl smiled venomously as his heart exploded inside his body; the sickening squelch of his blood provided a high for her as it emptied onto the black pavement, unseen by the fog of the night clouding the view of the alley from the road.

Nieve smirked at her work; pieces of his chest and stomach were strewn along the pavement and brick walls and his blood coated her like a warm, sticky blanket.

As she turned to walk away into darkness, she wiped a smear of blood off her cheek and lapped at it once. The blood of a non-bender. The blood of her enemies.

"It's so sad you were too weak..." she whispered.

* * *

The papers piled up on his desk menacingly, almost mocking how long he had to sit at this desk, and add more paperwork to his to-do list. Amongst the flies were treaties needing to be signed, advances in the Earth Kingdom military, and dozens of murder cases he still had to decide on.

"Your majesty," his messenger said meekly, which caused him to avert his gaze towards the small man. "It seems as if your sister has issued a letter addressed to you. She is wondering if you are able to see her for her birthday this month."

The King stroked his dark beard thoughtfully, lowering his gaze back to his work. "My sister's birthday is this month?" He glanced up and saw the scrawny, young man nod his head. "Where is my brother?"

"The Commander, Sir, is with your niece... Asha, I believe is her name."

King Nawa snapped up his head to look at the scrawny man. "I've not seen her since she was - was a young girl." It was true. Since his brother-in-law was Fire Nation, that's where his sister Kisa had resided since they married. Unfortunately, she had taken Asha with her, when she was only six years old. He still remembered the innocent smile she always wore as she would constantly chase the shutterflies around the palace gardens.

The messenger suddenly cleared his throat, bringing the man out of his thoughts, and threw a stack of folders on Nawa's desk. "This is from your sister, also..."

The King shuffled through each folder, noticing the wax Fire Nation symbol keeping each one sealed. The messenger leaned forward in an attempt to get a glimpse at the secrets held in the folders. After a couple of minutes of skimming, Nawa gave a sly grin. "Perfect, just perfect. Tell my men to ready a ship. My sister and I have a mission in Republic City..."

"S - sir?"

Nawa sighed. "Yes, Kumo?"

"... May I ask what was in the folders?" Kumo took a safe couple of steps back, reaching for the handle of the door. He knew what would happen if the king became enraged. "Because your advisors had issued how important it was that they be delivered to you. I just wanted to know, as your messenger, what was of such great importance," he quickly added.

"Well, let me put this simply. We both have a promise to a higher power, and to keep that promise we must..."

The messenger became disturbed at the words coming from his king's mouth. How someone could even think about doing something that heinous and illegal, right under someone's nose... "That's absolutely terrible! How could you even think of doing something like that?"

Nawa, looking clearly perturbed, stomped a foot on the ground under his desk, causing a pillar of earth to erect from the floor. It shot straight through Kumo's body, cutting him in half.

"Wrong choice of words, boy."

* * *

Ryu picked up another moon peach from one of the stands and tossed it in the air in front of him before bringing it up to his nose. It smelled good, at least. Of course, Asha would find something bad to say about it. Darn her perfectionistic attitude.

"Hey, Asha. How about -" The earthbender suddenly paused when she slapped it out of his hand and into the pile of start fruit.

"Too ripe," she chided quickly, casually placing three star fruit into the wicker basket filled with the finest fruits and meat.

Ryu blinked. "Ooookay, then. You just do the shopping and I'll just stand... over here."

Asha paused and flashed a warm smiled at him before offering the basket. "How about you carry the food while I get it."

Ariadne skipped up to the widow, careful to stay far away from the boy. "How come you're getting all this stuff in the first place?"

"Oh! I got a call from my mother this morning. She said that her and my Uncle Nawa were coming to Republic City for some business, and they were gonna stop by for dinner tomorrow night," Asha explained with a shrug.

"Great. Even more people," Kari grumbled from her spot, pecking the melons in front of her.

"So you mean, I finally get to meet your royal family after months of knowing you?" Ryu asked with a cheeky grin, ignoring his friend's comment.

"Yup! But we're -"

"Excuse me, miss. Can you tell me where the frozen seal jerky is?" Asha turned her head to face a tall, tanned man, around her age. He had such a familiar kindness radiating from his body that the auburn-haired girl couldn't help but smile when looking at him.

"It's in the back of the store. Ya know, under the sign that says 'meat'?"

"Riiight," the man drawled, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his pants. He stood there for a second with pursed lips, then turned to her. "I've seen you somewhere before... Is your name Asha by any chance?"

"... Yeah. And you are?" Asha forced a smile in an attempt to hide how creeped out she felt. But then again, a lot of people knew who she was.

"Zhou," he replied, running a confident hand through his hair, which he then held out for her to shake.

"Nice to meet you." Asha took his hand, expecting just a normal handshake. She was taken aback when he brought her hand up to his face, kissing the back of her palm.

_Just like Hatsu had the first time we met..._

Zhou suddenly glanced behind him, waving to a man in a nice business suit. "It was very nice meeting you," he purred. "I hope we can see each other again."

As the man turned to leave, Ariadne stepped up beside Asha with her nose upturned in disgust. "He thinks he's so cool," she grumbled under her breath.

Asha rocked back and forth on her heels with a cheeky smile on her face, like a schoolgirl crushing on a boy. "He's such a gentleman!"

"What did we talk about the other night, Ash? You don't need to be letting your guard down so easy!" Kari chided along with Ariadne.

"I'm with you girls on this one," Ryu interjected. "That guy gives me the creeps..."

"What if he's an incubus?" Ariadne added.

"Asha probably just likes him because he reminds her of Hatsu," Kari piped up, lightly elbowing the widow in the arm. "But you're gonna find a little bit of Hatsu in every guy you meet."

Asha nodded her head in agreement. "I am clearly aware of that, Kari! But they haven't even been dead for a year. It's gonna take some time getting used to."

"How about we just check out and go home, okay?" Ariadne suggested, looping her arm through Asha's.

"Good idea," the other three agreed, lightly giggling at their tandem response.

It wasn't until Asha had walked out of the store that she felt a pair of eyes boring into her back. As she and her friends walked down the street, back to her apartment, she had a strong hunch that someone was following them, for some reason.

Asha wrapped on of her arms around Ryu's bicep and scanned the crowd with pursed lips.

"Okay, I'm not saying that I don't like all the cuddling, but do you have to squeeze my arm that hard?" Ryu looked down at the widow with a playful gleam in his eyes.

"Considering that there are benders everywhere, and I'm a non-bender," she whispered, "I have to have someone protect me from these killers."

"Sooo, I'm kinda like your bodyguard?"

"Whatever floats your battleship," Asha shrugged, loosening her grip on her friend's arm.

"Ash!" Ryu suddenly pushed her away from him and into Kari's arms, where the waterbender threw her to the ground and took a defensive stance in front of the widow. The earthbender stood beside Kari.

"We're not gonna ask you again. Leave her alone!" Kari sneered to a person Ash couldn't see.

A man chuckled ominously. "You shouldn't talk to police that. It could get you into some serious trouble, young lady." The voice belonged to Nauru, the cop that pretty much kidnapped a bunch of teenagers. Plus Asha. "Just give me the girl. She doesn't belong in a world full of benders!"

"She belongs here just as much as you and I do," Ariadne argued.

"Then why are people shunning her kind?" When nobody answered, Nauru continued with his rant. "Non-benders are nothing but nuisances, that's why!"

Before anyone could act, Ryu shuffled his right foot forwards, causing the earth under Nauru's feet to shift and knock him onto his face. Kari growled lowly and arced her hands, summoning a stream of water from the air. As she slashed her water whip in the cop's direction, Nauru rose to his feet and advanced toward the four friends.

"How dare you!" the cop yelped with a bewildered look on his face.

"Guys, run!" Ryu yelled, worry creasing his voice.

Asha grabbed Ariadne's hand and raced through the alleyway next to them. Ryu and Kari were running a little slower than the two, trying to fend off the deranged officer.

"Crap," Ariadne squeaked. "What are we gonna do, Ash? No matter where we go, he'll -"

Asha stopped in her tracks, yanking Ariadne back with her. She stopped the other two benders. "The Air Temple! Guys, Councilman Tenzin is a friend of my uncle's. He has a non-bending wife, so of course he wouldn't want to kill me."

"And that cute boy you like lives there," Kari pointed out, trying to catch her breath.

"That's not why," Asha shrilled.

Ryu placed a hand on each arguing girl's shoulder. "Okay, I hate to break up this friend-fest, but we better go before Nauru catches up with us."

"Agreed," the other three sighed.

* * *

Everyone in the room eyed the business-like man as if he had dipped his head into a pot of dissolving acid. He just seemed so... out of place next to them; beside Tenzin, even.

The father of four was the first one to break the tension. "Well, Demour, it was very nice to have you over for dinner tonight," Tenzin said as casually as he could manage, with a slight bow in the business man's direction.

"The pleasure was all mine, Councilman. Being around everyone makes me realize how much I miss human interactions," Demour replied, an insidious grin playing on his lips. Of course, it was unnoticed by everyone in the room.

He could almost taste the chi radiating from every bender in the room, meshing and dancing together in an intoxicating dare. It was calling to him - the power all of these people could give to someone of Demour's nature. His mouth watered at the determination seething from the firebending boy. Mako, was his name.

The leader also recognized him from his visions, as Asha's future companion and previous husband. The boy just didn't know that part yet...

"Wait - you're like some sort of hermit?" the girl named Korra snorted loudly. Rudely, in Demour's eyes.

"I would prefer the term loner," Demour replied sourly. He could feel the heat her agitation was releasing at his snarky comment.

"And you should not talk to a future Councilman like that," Tenzin chided sharply, placing a strong hand on Korra's shoulder as to pull her back a couple steps.

"Councilman Demour, as of last Monday. I represent the Water Tribes in Tarrlok's place."

"Ah, wonderful. I was wondering when they would find a replacement."

"The Water Tribes are just as important as any other nation, as you know. I am just surprised they let the representation fall for as long as it did."

Korra raised an eyebrow and folded her arms across her chest. This man seemed way too perfect and... sketchy. The sirens inside her head wailed at the possible danger, and her inner voice (Avatar Aang) was just as skeptical as she.

'_Be careful around him, Korra. Something seems very fishy about this... Demour,_' Aang warned, his voice eerily calm. Her predecessor knew something that she didn't, and that unnerved her.

'_You're the Avatar now, not me. It's your responsibility to figure these things out without my help_.' At Aang's words, Korra groaned. '_Okay, you can ask me for help, just not as much. It gets tiring having to solve every mystery for you_."

"Fine with me," Korra muttered under her breath.

The only thing left was to figure out who this Demour guy really was.

No pressure, right?

"Excuse me." A White Lotus guard peeked his head into Tenzin's office. "You have some visitors here to see you. One of the girl's is a non-bender, and said she was attacked by a police officer."

Tenzin sighed and rose lazily from his chair. "I am very sorry to cut this meeting short, Demour, but I have some business to tend to."

"No matter needs to be abandoned because of me, Councilman," Demour shrugged, as if dismissing Tenzin's comment.

The airbender relaxed a little. "Great," he said, extending an arm towards the door. "May I lead you outside?"

"Yes, thank you." Demour turned to the group of people scattered around Tenzin's office. "It was very nice meeting you all," he told them, mainly the firebending boy, and bowed his head in farewell.

As the men exited the office, the Krew followed secretly behind. Korra was pretty much intent on figuring out just who this man was.

"You do know that this could go really bad, right?" Mako eyed the Avatar with an intent gaze as they hid behind the wall, waiting for the two Councilmen to turn the corner to the long hallway. "But it's not the stupidest thing you've ever done," he mumbled, peering around the wall. The coast was clear.

"At least I take risks, unlike you!" Korra replied as she stalked down the hallway. "There's just a creepy feeling I get from this guy. I need to figure out what it is."

Bolin, who was walking beside her, stopped in his tracks. "So, you mean to tell me that even after you feel creeped out, you wanna follow him?"

"Yep."

The earthbender groaned. "Girls make no sense..."

"You're telling me," Mako snorted, earning him a jab to the ribs by Korra.

"I agree with Korra about this guy," Asami commented. "He seems too sketchy." Everyone gave her a look. "What?"

"I just figured that you knew every rich, business man," Korra shrugged, kneeling behind a conveniently placed plant in the hallway.

Everyone froze when Demour stopped in his tracks and turned in the direction of the teens. Little did they know, he could sense their presences the whole time they had followed him.

"Those nuisances of yours are following us," Demour hissed curtly.

"Oh, crap," Korra hissed, noticing her friend's paled faces. "Don't worry guys... I got this."

"Korra!" Tenzin yelled, visibly seething.

Said-girl poked her head around the corner, showing the best poker-face she had... She just ended up looking really constipated as a result.

"Korra, what have I told you about snooping around?" the airbending master reprimanded, massaging the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. "It is extremely rude, especially to guests."

Demour suddenly flashed a wicked smile. "You might want to put a leash on that girl, just so you can keep up with her."

Tenzin gave him a sideways look, as if to say, 'How dare you talk about my reincarnated father like that!' Needless to say, he bit his tongue and opted for clearing his throat to signify a dire need to change the subject.

Luckily, by the time Tenzin had a chance to say anything, they were already outside; the Krew was following quickly behind. Everyone wanted to find out who this mystery group was.

"I'm pretty sure your shoulder is out of its socket," they heard one of the girls say. "You need a doctor, Ryu."

The Krew recognized the girl as Asha. After all, her uncle had rescued them from a possible murderer, so how could they forget her? As everyone stepped toward the teens, Demour stayed behind and focused in on how the humans interacted with one another. He was absolutely fascinated at how strange and amazing these creatures were. This world was so different to the one he created - it was filled with life, color. So it was when he had been looking through the Kaleidoscope of past, present, and future that he spotted Asha Shiroka sulking over the loss of her family and realized something: Demour needed some humans of his own. Standing by his side.

But first thing was first: he had to make some changes to that Mako; to make him more like Hatsu. So, why not put them in the same body?

* * *

"Demour knows _exactly_ what he's doing," Kisa argued to one of her brother's advisors. "My daughter is of no concern to _anybody_ but her father and myself!"

"Asha is in _danger_," one of the nobles countered, furrowing his brow. "It's your daughter that he mostly wants."

"We're _benders_. He's gonna kill us all, if we're on his side or not!" another advisor piped up.

"_Everyone_," Nawa interjected sharply. "We are docking in one hour. Can we please stay civil on _my_ ship for that short length of time?"

Kisa glared at her brother with a look that could kill. "I suggest you keep an eye on those damned shipmates of yours, then." She stalked out of the galley and into the hallway headed to the deck. Nawa had to lengthen his strides to catch up with her.

"Listen, I don't know what has you in such a bad mood, but those were my _advisors_ you were talking so harshly to back there."

"And it was my _daughter_ they were berating," Kisa retorted, hustling up the steps onto the deck. "Your _niece_! So, whether you rule a country or not, family should _always_ be first above all. Damn it, bub, what is wrong with you?"

Nawa was taken aback by his sister's reaction. He didn't know it would upset her so much. "I do care about my niece! It's the fact that a ruler of some dark underworld decided to make an appearance because of her that alarms me."

Kisa's expression grew dark as she stopped in the middle of the deck to turn to her brother. "You and I both know that Asha was always... _special_. In the physical and spiritual realms. It doesn't suprise me that she attracted a demon at all..."

Nawa blinked. How could she be so okay with an incubus hunting her daughter? "Doesn't it unnerve you of the deal we made to him because of that girl?"

"I just want her to be happy," the mother whispered with tear filled eyes, shaking her head in disbelief. "Even if it means making a deal with a demon... I would do anything to see her happy again..." She wiped her nose on the sleeve of her burgundy robes. "No matter, Nawa. You wouldn't understand the bond between a mother and child," Kisa teased, a warm smile playing on her painted lips. "So, when are you going to have children of your own?"

"I'm only thirty-two..."

"Exactly! You don't need to have kids at such a late age. They're wonderful blessings!"

"Until they get past three, that is."

"... Details, details!"

An antsy Tarak stepped onto the deck and made a beeline toward his mother. "Mom!" he snapped, jutting out his lower lip. "You said we would be there half an hour ago! I'm absolutely starving! ...Oh, hey, Uncle Nawa." Tarak had barely registered the fact that his uncle was standing right next to his mother until he averted his gaze away from the woman in distaste.

Tarak was sure of one thing, though: he absolutely hated boats. Ever since the incident with his brother-in-law and niece, it had been almost impossible to even get near water.

"You are exactly like your father," Kisa hissed, rolling her eyes. "So impatient about everything!"

"Kids are real _blessings_, aren't they?" Nawa muttered flatly. Kisa, who was in earshot, scowled at the comment - and the fact that he had proven her right yet again...

* * *

Mako didn't know how long he had been clutching his head in pain until Pema came out of nowhere and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" she asked concerningly. "Maybe you should sit down." Pema walked him over to the steps and eased him onto the top one.

"You don't look so good, bro," Bolin commented, eyeing the firebender studiously.

Mako buried his face in his hands and took a shaky breath. "I'm fine. Just a little headache..."

That was the problem, though. It wasn't just a little headache. It felt as if someone was stretching his cranium apart with a pair of hands covered in hot lava. And it only seemed to get worse as the seconds passed. The pain was becoming so unbearable he was on the verge of collapsing right there. Mako just remembered it hitting him like a huge train, when he had walked over near the new group of frazzled teenagers.

"I don't think it's just 'a little headache'," Demour told the group. "Especially by the way he is paling." Mako twisted his fingers into his hair, cringing at the man's voice. It cut into him like the blade of a dull knife.

And then the pain suddenly disappeared. He looked up with a knit brow and noticed Demour smiling with that insidious grin on his lips. Had he... ? No, that was impossible. You couldn't force a headache on someone... right?

"I'll be going now," Demour spoke, eyeing Mako like he was a sitting turtleduck just waiting to be devoured by a hungry pumcat. "My work here is done."

"_Well, that was weird_," a strange voice echoed inside his head.

Mako gasped and jumped to his feet, startling everyone around him. He looked around curiously, searching for the unknown presence that had been around him, or rather, inside him. The firebender had never heard that voice in his life; that's what perplexed him. He always thought that your concience, or whatever they called it, matched your voice - because it was you.

So, what the hell was inside his head?

"_I have a name, you know_," the voice suddenly replied, sounding almost insulted.

Mako crossed his arms and sulked. He had officially gone crazy.

_I don't wanna know, because you're not even rea_l, he told the voice, visibly shaking his head.

"_I'm as real as you and everyone else!_" the voice suddenly went quiet. "_Asha's here..._"

_Be quiet. The last thing I need is unnecessary commentary... You're annoying enough as it is, for someone who isn't real_.

Mako suddenly felt a sharp pain travel from his temples to the very back of his skull.

"_See? I am real!_" the voice grunted in satisfaction.

"Okay, you're real," Mako hissed aloud, unaware of the presences of his friends. Everyone turned to look at him as if he was one moon pie short of a candy basket. Asha, mostly, wouldn't stop staring at him with this weird look in her eye. When she saw that he had returned her gaze, she smiled awkwardly and looked over to the girl beside her, pursing her lips.

Wasn't this just joyful? He had someone talking inside his head, making him think he was crazy, and now everyone _else_ thought he was crazy!

What a _great_ way to start the day. Instead of a nice breakfast and some sparring, he got a deranged visitor and possible schizophrenia.

* * *

**A/N: So, obviously Demour has something HUGE up his sleeve. (Hence him putting Hatsu in Mako's body. That's going to be fun, isn't it?) And being on the Council? Perfect chance to carry those plans out. **

**Remember the shadow from last chapter? He found his body; poor Zhou is thinking he's going to get revenge, but instead it comes back to bite him in the ass. **

**Asha's family, on the other hand, are on the opposite ends of the spectrum. They have no plan whatsoever. They're just kinda trusting Demour and their instincts. But the contract Asha's mother and uncle made is going to make things difficult.**

**I am so sorry for only including one OC in this, but I'm to make it here it's not so confusing, and the fact that this chapter is 5,000 words (it's easy on myself, mostly). I've just been too stressed to keep up with everything, but next chapter, mark my words: they will be used. **

**Also, since I have all the OCs I need, should I change the name and put up a new plot summary? I've been debating on this for a while now...**

**Questions, comments, concerns? PM me! Or...**

**REVIEW! WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF WE GOT TO 50 REVIEWS BY THIS CHAPTER? It would make me feel a lot better, too! **

**Until next time,**

**Bailee~**


	6. Chapter 5: Jealous Feelings and Empathy

**A/N: So let's start this chapter off with an apology. I am so sincerely sorry that it's taken me so long to get this published. But writing for me has been like pulling teeth. I've had some crappy writer's block lately, for my personal reasons. **

**That and the fact that school started back today. It's been extremely hectic. And I'll be involved in sports and extra-curricular activities and working on homework, and worrying about passing my classes so I can graduate... Whew! I don't know how I'll find time to write! It'll take a little longer than a week to pull off these chapters until school lets up. **

**But on a much happier note: HOLY CRUD FIFTY REVIEWS! Wow! How did this story get so much love? It's not really THAT good, ya know... But anyways, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the support and love this has been getting. I love all you people that have FAVE'D/ALERTED both me and this story! You guys are so amazing and patient, which I appreciate so much! Seriously, I can't describe how much I love you guys. **

**Now, onto the chappy!**

* * *

_**Chapter 5: Jealous Feelings and Empathy**_

Mako was about to go crazy... again. That voice inside his head had not shut up for three days. It was either doing boring commentary of Mako's surroundings - because apparently it could see through 'his' eyes - or was humming a song, or decided to tell it's whole backstory; which included the story of how he died, a wife with 'gorgeous auburn hair and cyan eyes', and little girl that 'looked just like him' that had passed away also. Thank Agni the firebender couldn't hear her, though.

"_Ya know, I don't wanna be here just as much as you don't want me here_," the voice said, sounding slightly annoyed. "_But I would appreciate it if you would stop calling me 'it' and start referring to me by my real name_." Yeah, Mako definitely felt the presence's annoyance. It was as if it made him feel annoyed, too.

... So now they were connected through empathy? How does that even happen?

"_We're in the same body, Mako. Of course we'll feel the same feelings_."

_Well, stop feeling_, Mako replied. _Because whatever you're feeling, I'm sorta feeling, too._

The firebender heard the presence sigh. "_You can control it very easily, actually. All you gotta do is get the hang of separating us from each other. It'll take a couple of days, but you'll get it..._"

_I don't even want us together in the first place. I'd rather have my own mind to myself, thank you very much. _

"_Ya know_," he snapped. "_You're really rude for being so protective of a little brother._"

If you_ had the feeling you were crazy and was hearing a voice inside your head, you wouldn't be in such high spirits, either_. Then Hatsu's comment hit him like a ton of bricks. Mako's eyes widened incredulously. _How did you_ know _that_?

"_Yeah... About that... I kinda snooped through your memories while you were sleeping_."

"You did what?" Mako hissed through gritted teeth. Yet again, he failed to remember that there were actual people around him. One of those including Korra, who made fun of him about everything.

The Avatar, who had just weaved through the airbending gates, stopped her actions to raise an eyebrow and pout her lip in confusion. He had been closer to her than he originally thought.

"You okay, Mako?" Korra inquired, folding her arms across her chest.

Mako cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. Stupid voice... "Yeah. Fine, just fine." He was close enough to the girl where he didn't have to talk above his normal voice for her to hear him. Mako wasn't sure he would have been able to, given Hatsu's "she's really pretty" comment moments before.

"_Not prettier than my wife_," Hatsu quickly added. "_Nobody's prettier than her..._"

"Whatever you say," Mako sighed, rubbing his temples to ease the headache being brought on by the extra presence inside his head.

Because of the fact, he didn't see Korra shake her head in astonishment and whisper something about his falling sanity. Thank the Spirits for that, though.

Hatsu's inner monologue grew even greater when Asha showed up with her friends and began to play with the air babies, specifically Rohan. The baby was cuddled into her chest with his head on her shoulder, and she patted the infant's back with a light touch. It was as if she -

_Oh, yeah,_ Mako thought. _She had a little girl that passed away months ago. Of course she would know how to take care of a baby._

He instantly felt a pang of sadness (or was it guilt?) coming from Hatsu like a beating heart; it weighed the firebender's heart down, also. Mako sighed and frowned sadly, silently cursing the spirit for putting such feelings on him.

Mako noticed Hatsu examining Asha - just like he was - as she carried Meelo on her back around the gardens. Hatsu laughed when the child flipped out of the girl's grasp and clung to her leg. Mako smiled warmly at the utter fascination Hatsu showed the auburn-haired girl.

"_Hey, Mako?_" Hatsu asked. "_Can you do something for me?_"

_... It depends,_ Mako replied.

"_I just want you to tell Asha that she was a great mother and wife for me._"

Mako blinked in confusion. "Wait... Is _she_ the 'beautiful wife' you told me about yesterday...?"

"_Well_," Hatsu started, "_we never got to get married because of setbacks... but to me, she's always been my wife._"

"Oh... That's -"

"Mako!" Bolin called from his place beside Asha. "What are you doing over there all by yourself?"

"Just... thinking," Mako yelled back, shrugging his shoulders.

The spirit inside his mind became fully sentient of the conversation taking place. "_What am I, chopped turkey liver to you?_" Hatsu commented tersely.

Mako suddenly felt a sharp pain in his bicep, as if someone had literally punched him. Ya know, if someone were actually THERE. That thought earned him another punch to his ribs...

"Ow! What the _hell_, Hatsu?"

Asha froze at the mention of her husband's name, which Mako yelled at the top of his lungs. Her brows knit together in confusion and she absentmindedly twirled the ruby engagement ring around her finger.

"Bolin, why is your brother saying my husband's name?"

"He's been acting really weird lately. Just ignore it," Bolin shrugged.

"Pretty lady!" Meelo ran up to the widow and tugged on the sleeve of her coat.

"Does he say that a lot?" Asha whispered to Bolin.

"Pretty much. Every new girl Meelo sees and likes, he starts calling her 'pretty lady'," the earthbender replied.

"Pretty ladyyyy!" the young airbender drawled, yanking even harder on the woman's wrist. He attempted to drag her away, but he couldn't budge her. "I haven't got to show you the most awesomest trick in the whole world!"

Asha giggled and rose to her feet. As Meelo dragged her away, she said her goodbyes to Bolin before disappearing around the corner of the temple.

"_Stop her_!" Hatsu shrieked. "_Tell her what I told you_!"

_No!_

"_If you won't tell her, I will. I have control over your mouth, ya know..._"

_... She already thinks I'm crazy. I don't think we should add delusional stalker to the list. _

"_... True. But still, it would make her feel so much better_." Hatsu went silent for a beat. "_She's been so depressed lately, and I've had to watch her suffer without being able to do anything about it,_" the spirit explained. "_But now I can do something about it... You're pretty much the only missing piece of the puzzle, considering you're the one with the body here. It's fate, Mako. Things like this happen once in a blue moon._"

Mako sighed in complete surrender. He could feel how hopeful Hatsu was at rekindling with his old love again. It made the firebender reconsider the situation, from the spirit's point of view.

"_Besides_," Hatsu added. "_By helping me and Asha, you could gain something, also_."

_... Okay. I'll do it_.

Mako steeled himself for the most awkward conversation he'd probably have to face in his life; considering that Hatsu was inside his mind, and Asha thought that Mako looked exactly like him... He took a deep breath and -

"_Hurry_!" Hatsu yelled. "_We can get to the fact that we look identical later._"

* * *

Aika stirred restlessly in her sleep when she felt a foot prod at her side. Again. And again. And again. Her dream had been absolutely amazing, until that stupid foot showed up.

She finally rolled over to scream at the person, but decided against it upon realizing that it was actually a cook at Narook's.

"Sorry little lady, but you can't sleep here," the cook said, waving around a pair of wooden chopsticks.

Aika blinked. "Wh - why...?"

"Boss's orders. We're packin' up and headin' to the Earth Kingdom."

"You can't do that!" Aika shrieked, clambering to her feet. "Why is he leaving loyal customers?"

"You haven't read the newspapers, girl? Republic City is the most dangerous place a person could be, especially when that person is a non-bender like Narook. People are sayin' it's gonna be exactly like the hundred year war during Avatar Aang's time... Except it'll be bender against non-bender."

Aika laughed incredulously. "That's ridiculous! This city is supposed to be the center of peace. People just like to talk..."

"Well, even so, Boss isn't changin' his mind for nothin'," the cook shrugged. He started to walk back into the restaurant when Aika grabbed onto his arm.

"Wait! Where am I gonna stay?"

The cook waved his hand to dismiss her question. "Ask that Asha Shiroka girl. It looks like she's been adoptin' the whole freaking city's population of teens, ever since that family 'a hers died."

"Um... I'd much rather live at the air temple. Ya know, with... Avatar Korra?" Aika smiled innocently and clasped her hands under her chin.

"Sorry, kid. Tenzin's already got four teenagers and a new baby to take care of. 'Sides, nobody would let you within a hundred feet of the Avatar..." The cook shrugged his shoulders and pulled his arm from her grasp, then went to step back inside using the back door. "Ya best bet would be to visit Asha and see what she can do. I'm pretty sure she'll let you stay; she's a real sweet girl..."

Aika pursed her lips and angrily reached down to grab her blanket off the pavement as the cook stepped inside. "Time to lose all of my dignity..."

* * *

As Meelo was looking for the marbles for his marble trick, Asha sat lazily on the steps and examined her auburn hair, mainly the many split ends on the tips. It really needed to be trimmed.

She felt someone approach her by the heat coming from their body. A firebender, she was sure. Asha looked up...

"Mako, hey. What are you doing here?" she asked, a warm smile suddenly sneaking onto her lips. Her cheeks turned warm from her blushing.

The firebender shrugged. "I've always wanted to see the marble trick."

"Oh... Me too."

Hatsu's voice blared inside Mako's head. "_Tell her what I said! Tell her what I said!_"

_Okay, I will! Just... be quiet._

"Ya know," Mako started, rubbing the back of his neck. "I saw how you played with Rohan... You must've been a great mother."

Asha smiled sadly and fidgeted with the hem of her dress. "I like to think so," she whispered.

"Trust me, Ash. You were a great mother," Hatsu piped up, suddenly drawn to the girl sitting beside Mako.

"You can sit down, Mako. I swear, I don't bite," said Asha jokingly. He cracked a smile and sat down beside her.

"_She's even more beautiful than I remember,_" Hatsu said. "_But she seems really fond of you, you know._"

_Fond of me? No offense, but I've had enough of girls for a lifetime. Korra's enough for me by herself..._

"_I'm telling you, Mako. I've known her since she was sixteen, so I know how she works - especially when she likes someone._" Hatsu's voice sounded somber. As if he was having to force those words out of his mouth. Mako felt his hidden sadness.

Meelo suddenly came into view. "Pretty ladyyyy... and... Mako?" Meelo pouted his lips and clambered onto Asha's lap. He wrapped his arms defensively around her neck. "You always get all the girls! Especially the pretty ones! Asha's mine."

Said-girl raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really? I'm flattered, Meelo." She placed a light kiss on the boy's cheek and whispered something in his ear. He chortled for a second and, realizing his mistake, quickly placed a hand over his mouth.

"What?" Mako asked. The two just laughed harder. "What's so funny!?"

"I'm not allowed to say. Asha made me promise," Meelo announced, crossing his arms.

Asha rolled her eyes and a smirk was hinted on her lips. "I just said that you obviously got girls because of your looks, considering you're such an awkward turtleduck when it comes to flirting and stuff."

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Mako replied playfully.

"You're so awkward around Korra! I've met you guys for only three days and even I can see who wears the pants in the relationship," she countered, lightly nudging him in the arm with her elbow.

"_I think this conversation is over,_" Hatsu interjected inside Mako's mind. He was clearly uncomfortable with Asha's subtle flirting. "_Can we leave now?_" Mako furrowed his eyebrows, to which Asha noticed.

"Oh, I - I'm sorry. I'm just naturally touchy-feely. It's a habit. I don't even realize I'm doing it until someone tells me to stop touching them because they have touching issues and don't like to be touched, which I don't understand because hugging and stuff makes me feel... happy..." The widow suddenly realized she was rambling like she always did when nervous, and quickly shut up. Asha always had an odd habit of making people uncomfortable. She was kind of a pro at it...

The woman looked up to the sky and pursed her lips, noticing the dark clouds looming over the city and the cold breeze sweeping through the air.

"I think we should go inside before this cold gets you and Meelo sick," she said, resisting the urge to pat Mako's back (which was another habit of hers in order to comfort someone).

"But I'm not even cold," Mako countered, folding his arms across his chest. He noticed her shivering and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to warm her. He ignored Hatsu's yelling and cursing at him. "If anything, you should be getting inside before _you_ get sick." He furrowed his eyebrows and pressed the pads of his fingers to her forehead. "You're burning up already..."

"_Get off of her! Touching her wasn't part of the plan!_" Hatsu yelled, his jealousy and anger seething.

_I was just checking her temperature. _

"_She's blushing, you idiot!"_

Asha's blushing deepened when he scooted even closer to her. He was just so warm... "I'm fine, okay?"

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No you're not."

"Yes I am."

"No. You're not."

"Yes. I am."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Guys!" Meelo yelled, airbending Mako a foot away from them. "There is no need for all of this arguing!"

"Okay, you're fine! You are fiiiiiine." Mako raised up his arms in defense, and Hatsu fully relaxed.

Asha suddenly burst into a fit of light giggles. "Never underestimate a girl's power to argue, Mako! ...Now, we probably should be getting inside before we actually get sick."

"I'll go inside when I want," Mako argued, climbed onto his feet, and placed his hands on his hips. A cold wind abruptly swept through the area, causing the three to shiver. "... Okay. Let's go inside."

* * *

"Meelo, I really need to go," Asha said, dragging the leg he was attached to across the floor.

"No! You can't go, pretty lady," the young boy protested, struggling to get a grip on her leg to hold her back.

"I have to! My family is supposed to be in today, and I haven't even made dinner yet."

Pema, hearing all the commotion, walked into the room, holding a one month old Rohan against her chest.

"Meelo, come on. Asha has work to do, and you have airbending practice later," the mother said, waving him over. The boy sighed, looked up at Asha in a silent plea, then walked over to his mother with his head hung low.

"We'll meet again, pretty lady!" he sighed dreamily before running out of the room. Pema just shook her head and mouthed an "I'm sorry" to the widow, then followed after Meelo, leaving Asha alone.

Well, she thought she was alone. Little did she know that Demour had been there in the study the whole time, sitting at one of the tables and... studying... a pile of books consisting of Air Nomad culture, the history of Republic City and Councilmanship 101. (If only that last one had been real...) One can only keep up a certain facade for so long before someone catches something abnormal. He wanted to make his last.

Demour looked up at the girl and examined her features, which were so alien-like to him, even though he had a body similar to hers. He had never seen such color on one being before. Everything in his world was so lackluster it was painful. But the humans... they had a color to their hair, eyes, and skin, and even their clothes. They were beautiful creatures... especially the one standing before him.

"That Meelo is something else, isn't he?" the Councilman asked jadedly. He saw the girl jump and twirl around to his direction.

"Oh! You scared me," Asha breathed, pressing a hand to her chest.

Demour smirked. "I'm sorry about that, Miss Shiroka. I was just studying on Republic City for my first day as Councilman tomorrow. Master Tenzin was nice, and let me borrow his study."

Asha simply smiled uncomfortably and nodded her head. She didn't like being in the presence of this man. Something about him seemed too... insidious. It made her stay on the edge of her seat, since she didn't know who this man really was, and even more, what he was capable of.

"Well," Asha started. Cleared her sudden dry throat. Tried again. "I'm sorry to disturb you. I should be going anyways."

"Ah, yes. Your family is visiting, aren't they?" Demour closed the think book he was reading and rose from his seat, strolling over to the woman. "Your mother, uncle and I are fairly good friends... We've been through a lot together, let's just say."

"They've never really talked about you..."

"I'm not really one to be talked about, pretty girl." The man closed in on Asha, entranced by the oceanic blue in her eyes. "I'm not one to be messed with either."

Asha furrowed her eyebrows and tightened the knapsack she had around her shoulder in her grip. She gritted her teeth and was ready to defend herself...

"Demour!" The two turned at the sound of his voice being called. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"... Zhou?!" Asha exclaimed, backing away from the two men. "You - you know him?"

"Well, of course. He's a good friend of miiiii-yyyyy father's."

Asha wrinkled her nose up in disgust. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have to be home. So, bye you two." She slipped past both Demour and Zhou and stalked out of the room.

Once Demour was sure she was out of earshot, he ran up to Zhou and grabbed the collar of his jacket.

"Are you insane?" he hissed. "We were so close; she almost trusted you, and you ruined all of it!"

"Master, please! I-" Zhou stopped when his leader tightened his grip on the coat. "I'm sorry... Give me another chance."

Demour massaged the bridge of his nose and shook his head; he let go of the man's collar, shoving him backwards.

"Very well, boy. But just remember what this mission holds: by helping me get the girl, I can rid the world of one less non-bender."

Zhou bowed to his master and fled the room in a puff of dark smoke.

The reality of the situation was that Demour, ever since he saw those amazing creatures "bending", realized that he had to have them live in his world - be his company. It had nothing to do with non-benders like Asha, but that boy didn't have to know that.

And in reality, Zhou was nothing but his little puppet, and Demour was the one controlling the strings...

* * *

Noatak hugged his son closer to his side and trudged through the thick snow. The burns on his body had turned to deep red, disgusting scars. The man didn't know how his wife still looked at him.

"Dad?" Noa asked, glancing up at the older man. "Where are we going?"

Noatak stared straight ahead and kept wading through the freezing cold, while holding the sleeve of Noa's blue parka.

"It's time that I show you a rare skill that only few waterbenders can do in the whole world," Noatak explained, glaring at the setting sun.

Any time now would the full moon be out, and Noatak would be at his most powerful. Since the boating incident, he hadn't been able to bloodbend of the day. Maybe he would never be able to waterbend again. Only tonight would tell.

"What is it? I won't tell Mom, I promise," Noa pleaded, pouting his lower lip. He tugged on the sleeve of his father's jacket when he lost his footing and almost slipped on a sheet of black ice.

"You'll see soon enough, Son," Noatak replied, looking in the boy's eyes for the first time. They were so innocent - so naïve. It hurt the scarred man to unveil his child to such a maniacal art, but Noa wasn't a little child anymore; he knew all about right and wrong, and the boy needed to protect himself against such evils - such as him, if it came down to it.

Noatak finally made it to the clearing where he had practiced bloodbending during the Equalist Uprisings. It was a snow-covered area around the size of an airship without any case of trees or life. The perfect spot to practice waterbending.

"Son, I want you to stand on the other end of this clearing," Noatak ordered. He glanced back up at the sky and saw the moon rising above the crest of the horizon. When he looked back, his son was on the other end of the clearing. "Do you feel it, Noa? How strong you're getting?"

The boy breathed in through his nose and closed his eyes. He felt a surge of power move through his veins, almost like lightning. It stirred in his core and his muscles ached to bend; his fingers even began to twitch.

"Yeah," Noa replied, absentmindedly bending a stream of water into small ice shards beside of him. "I feel... powerful. Like I could take on the world."

"Do you know why you're so powerful?" Noa shook his head and Noatak strolled over to him, feeling the same spike in energy he always had during a full moon. He breathed a sigh of relief; the man was still able to waterbend. "The people of the Water Tribe first learned waterbending by observing how the moon pushed and pulled the tides of the ocean. They then learned how to simulate the effect themselves. Because of this, waterbenders have a strong spiritual connection to the Moon and its counterpart, the Ocean. That's why waterbenders are so strong when the moon has risen."

"That's awesome," Noa muttered to himself.

"Do you know what I will be teaching you tonight?"

Noa pursed his lips in thought. "How to... heal better?"

Noatak shook his head and a smirk played on his lips. "Think greater, son. More powerful."

Noa's eyes widened, and he bit down on his lower lip. "You mean... bloodbending?"

"Exactly. I think it's time to teach you what I have learned, so I can pass my knowledge down to you."

"But... what if I don't want to learn it?"

Noatak clenched his fists and ground his teeth together. The snow heated around his feet and soaked the bottom of his parka. "That's not really a choice you get to make, child."

* * *

"Mom! Uncle Nawa!" Asha shrieked, enclosing her family in a tight hug at the doorway.

"I missed you so much, sweetie," Kisa replied, pulled out of her daughter's embrace, and stepped into the small apartment.

A small futon and coffee table sat in the center of the room, along with a radio turned on a slow jazz station on top of the table. That was really all the furniture in the living room, aside from a few floor lamps in the corners.

Kisa wrinkled up her nose. "Asha, please don't tell me you've lived in this small apartment for months."

"Okay. I won't tell you," the widow joked, poking her mother in the arm.

"I don't think this environment will work," Nawa said jadedly. "A niece of mine is not living in such a small, bland apartment if I have anything to say about it..."

"Uncle Nawa," Asha interjected. An annoyed expression covered her usual vivacious visage. "Now's not really the time to berate my choice of house, ya know."

"It's just not a home fit for a close relative of the earth king."

"Whatever..." Asha composed herself and eased an airy smile onto her lips. "So, I'm happy to inform you that I have some guests here to join us."

"We're not guests, Ash!" a male voice called from another room. "We live here, 'member?"

The younger woman skipped into the dining room, followed by her family. "Ya know," Asha drawled. "Some of you guys aren't even paying rent. So I wouldn't say anything if I were you."

Both Kisa and Nawa examined the widow's "guests". Two dark-headed women sat on the far side of the room with permanent scowls on their faces. Avatar Korra was sprawled out at the head of table beside of a man that looked uncannily like Hatsu (but they shrugged that off; it could have just been coincidence). Next to the man was a muscular teenager with emerald green eyes and an innocent face, and at the other end of the table sat Commander Karou and yet another boy. Kisa was extremely unhappy with three boys sitting in her daughter's house. She would have to talk about that with Asha later.

Ryu smiled uneasily and adjusted the collar around his neck. "You know I love you, right?"

"Yeah. Same here," Yuri and Kari both agreed.

Kisa found the perfect chance to slip out of the room as Asha was talking, and snuck through the tiny apartment to the bathroom. She locked the door and slid to the floor against the wall.

"Demour, you can come out now," Kisa whispered. "It's safe."

A puff of black smoke emanated right out of thin air, in front of Kisa. The substance took the shape of a human and turned as dense as ink. Demour's features were seen in the figure's face.

"Have you caught sight of him, my dear?" the figure asked, tentatively wringing his wrists. It was unlike Demour to become that nervous.

"Yes," Kisa whispered weakly. She felt very uncomfortable to see him in his natural form. "Is the contract still intact?"

"As far as she is concerned, yes. But we may have a problem with the boy."

All of the color drained from the woman's face, and she clenched her hands into fists. "It wasn't supposed to be one-sided," Kisa hissed. "That wasn't part of the contract, Demour!"

"I understand your anger on the subject... But there is something we can do."

"I'll do anything."

Even through the blackness of Demour's figure, Kisa blatantly saw the devilish smirk mar his features. It made gooseflesh cover her skin, out of sheer macabre.

"Good to know that you read your contract, Kisa..."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, right before you signed with your own blood, the regulations were read. One of them was a promise that you would do anything and everything to keep the contract going."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

Demour started to meld to the floor in a mixture of blood and ash. His voice was eerie and disembodied.

"_You're about to find out..._"

* * *

**A/N: So, not much to say about this chapter. Kisa is knee-deep in that contract of hers (which has no good outcome, I must say) and Demour is being... well, Demour. Asha is starting to realize how much she likes being around Mako, because of how much he resembles Hatsu, while Hatsu is jealous because his wife is flirting with Mako. Oh, how I love this.**

**This chapter came across as kinda filler, which wasn't my intention at all. Crap**.** I need to be more careful! **

**I have two questions to ask all of you reading this:**

**1.) I really want Asha to adopt a pet, since she is so in love with animals (which you'll see more of later). But I kinda wanna leave it up to you guys about what you think she should get. Just give me a name of an Avatar animal you would love to see her adopt! **

**2.) If I have any artists that like this story and would take some valuable time out of their day to make a cover art for this story, could you PM me so I can give you the details? I would appreciate it so much! And who knows, you may get a special treat! (A whole chapter dedicated to your ideas - or your character, maybe?) **

**Well, that's all! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Any comments/questions/ideas/concerns? Feel free to PM me! **

**Oh, and tell me what you thought about this chapter! Loved it? Hated it? I would love to hear your feedback. **

**REVIEW! **

**Until next time,**

**Bailee~**


	7. Chapter 6: Parties Are The Best! Right?

**A/N: You guys like the new name? Eh, eh? Chronicles of Republic City was getting boring.**

**So I'm really sorry for it being a little while since I've updated, but one of my good friends was killed the other day, and I have been living and breathing school and homework, and my uncle is terminally ill with cancer and my life has been a pile of crap. These two months have been so terrible. **

**Anyways, I wanted to say thank you for what reviews I got last chapter (even though there were only four compared to my other chapters) and all the alerts and faves and other stuff. BUT, since school is being such a nuisance right now, and I barely have enough time to write, I'm gonna write during the week and post every other Sunday. Maybe more, but always every other Sunday. So check your mail the Sunday after next. Any time past noon. Well, my time at noon...? Crap. You wouldn't know that.**

**I know, I know. Why write if they're gonna be crappy chapters like this one? Well, I can't answer that...**

**So, on that sour note, um... Enjoy this chapter... ?**

* * *

_**Chapter 6: Parties Are The Best!... Right?**_

_I like to compare love to a disease of a sort. Take skin cancer, for example. The sickness starts out subtle, a mere freckle or mole. You don't even realize you have it. A quick glance at it; nothing seems strange at all. Until it creeps on you and something starts to feel weird. Your body starts to change and fight it off, again, without you even noticing._

_The disease then hits you like a flying bison falling from the sky, and by then you realize it's engulfed your whole body, and there is no way to escape it. It goes on a rampage, and messes with your head - your feelings._

_But it doesn't bother you._

_You know that there's a chance of it eating you alive, but you think, "That won't be me. How can you get hurt from something so little?" And then a voice in the back of your mind says, "Maybe this could be a good thing. Maybe the result will be great."_

_That's what happened to me. Eight months ago I lost my husband and daughter in a drowning. I couldn't even function in my day-to-day life after the incident._

_Why?_

_Because the love I had for them had always been a disease. I had been so engrossed and obsessed them that when they died, the real world came crashing down on me. The disease had engulfed me before I realized what was happening. But it never occurred to me that I could lose them - that they could crumble through my grip in the blink of an eye._

_But the love I have for Hatsu is still as strong as ever. If anything, the sickness has sunken deeper into my being with his death. Every person I meet, I always find something about that human that reminds me of him. Of our daughter._

_Because love is a disease. I'm still fighting it with each passing second. But this is the thing, reader: the only way to get over a disease (a deceased loved one), is to get a healer. And in my case, my healers are friends, family. A man that I recently met reminds me so much of my husband; they both have the same stubborn firebender personalities. This man, in a strange way, has helped me with my heartbreak. Even though there are times when I feel sorry for myself when looking at him, there are also those times when I feel like I'm finally moving on, yet Hatsu is right there with me. Always. This man is my healer._

_A healer, for you, is someone who can help mend your wounds, to make them feel better. And with a disease, it doesn't take one healing session to be completely cured... it could take four, or five. The same way is with a person. The more you relate and grow with that person, the better your wounds get._

_Love becomes the answer to healing._

At the bottom of the paper, it read "A Lesson On Loss" by Asha Shiroka. Mako studied the black and white picture of her in the top corner of the page.

"_She's beautiful, even in black and white_," Hatsu echoed inside Mako's head. It was the first time he had heard the spirit speak since he had read the article. Of course, Hatsu was always there in the back of Mako's mind. His presence was just soft.

"Yeah," Mako sighed.

"Who are you talking to, City Boy?" Korra asked teasingly as she entered the room. She pulled the newspaper out of Mako's hands and sat down in his lap, planting light kisses on his face before connecting his lips with hers. Korra sighed.

Hatsu suddenly felt panicked, itching to be removed far away from the situation. He shrunk into the back of Mako's mind and tried anything to distract himself.

"_You know, by kissing your girlfriend, I'm literally kissing your girlfriend... since we're in the same body_," Hatsu slowly reminded Mako. "_So please... refrain from all this canoodling. It makes me feel like I'm betraying Asha_."

Mako slowly pulled away after feeling a wave of guilt bubble up in his stomach. Stupid Hatsu.

"Oh, I see how it is. Playin' hard to get, huh?"

"No. I just... remembered something I had to do."

Korra rolled her eyes and slid out of his lap. "Whatever, Mako," she mumbled, stalking towards the kitchen.

* * *

"Okay, do you have everything?" Asha's mother asked, leaning against the doorway of her daughter's small apartment. She moved out of the way as Ryu carried two small boxes filled with clothes out of the room.

Asha ran both hands through her hair and blew out a heavy breath. She nodded her head in wary agreement. The woman was perfectly fine in her small apartment, but her uncle had insisted a week ago that she move into something larger, which happened to be a huge loft in the rich side of town.

Kisa walked over and lay an arm over Asha's shoulders. They both stared out of the window and into the graffiti-covered alley below.

"Just think about it this way," she said, "no more brown water!"

"But Mom, this was my home, brown water or not!"

"Your so-called 'home' is a dump, dear."

Asha ducked out from under her mother's arm and stormed for the door, unintentionally slamming it against the wall as she walked out.

The young woman found herself at the front of the building, pacing back and forth with seething anger. She really wondered why her mother suddenly thought she had the right to change everything!

"You seriously need to calm down," a bored Kari said, leaning against Asha's new satomobile with her arms crossed protectively and a hard expression on her face.

The widow took a deep breath, falling against the side of her apartment building.

"I'll calm down when my mother gets her nose out of my business. I mean, no wonder I never talk to her anymore. She acts like I'm still some kind of child..."

"I'm sure she only does it because she cares about you," Ariadne said, wrapped her arms around her torso as a cold wind passed by. She looked to the sky and noticed how darkened it had become during the last half hour. It felt as if it was late, late afternoon, even though the time was actually three 'o clock.

Kisa walked out of the apartment complex, a set of keys in hand. She closed the trunk of Asha's satomobile but stopped when Ryu, Ariadne and Kari all hopped into the car.

"What do you three think you're doing?" Kisa asked, crossing her arms.

"Mom," Asha drawled, silently cursing to herself, "they live with me, remember... ?"

"That's the thing, Asha. I know that you love these kids, but it's not good for your reputation to have your home as pretty much a charity."

"Actually, I don't live here, Mrs. Asha's Mother," Ryu interjected, hopping out of the satomobile.

"No offense, boy, but it doesn't make a difference whether you live with my daughter or not. People will think she's gallivanting around with a bunch of scum."

"I'd rather be known as scum than a spiteful broad who thinks she knows everything," Asha hissed, shooting her mother a look of pure disgust. "You had no right to say that to my friends - the only family I pretty much have!"

"You had us; you've always had us! Me, your father... Ever since the boating accident, you've been growing further and further away from your family -"

"And I've found a new one!"

Kisa set her jaw and grabbed her daughter by the arm, marching down the sidewalk.

"Ow, Mom!" Asha shrieked, attempting to wrench herself out of Kisa's grasp.

"Be quiet, you'll be fine. I just think we need to go for a little walk, is all."

* * *

Kira began to grow worried - very worried - about her husband and son. It was way past midnight and they still weren't back. What had Noatak said, again? 'We'll just be going for a quick walk.' Yeah, right. No "quick walk" she knew lasted over three hours.

The winds outside of their house/bunker battered against the door and roof. Snow fell in thick blankets across the ground, falling rapidly out of the sky with the flakes the size of a child's fist. The sky grew dark, signaling an impending doom over Republic City.

Kira stumbled out of the front door and into the freezing temperatures. She called Noatak's name once. No answer. Twice. Still no answer. The snow and wind stung her eyes, as did the frightened tears threatening to spill.

The woman's breath caught in her throat as she saw an inky figure slithering its way down the hill, heading straight towards her. She turned to run, but her feet were stuck to the ground like glue; no twisting or heaving would remove them.

The figure grew closer, its bloody ink leaving spots on the crisp white contrast of the snow. But Kira refused to show fear. She remained stoic and strong. Besides, it was just her imagination, right?

The ink twisted and curled maliciously upwards, and with a sickening crack, it turned into the solid figure of a man. As he opened his mouth to smile, the dark substance oozed off of his teeth and splattered the ground yet again.

Kira grew sick to her stomach and bile rose in her throat, but she refused to show any emotion. It was not in her nature.

"I hear that you're looking for a certain bloodbending tyrant and a young boy, who so happens to be your son," the figure teased, slinking his way around her.

"Have you seen them?" Kira asked in a voice as flat as a sanded rock.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "maybe not. Just depends."

"... On what?"

She could almost feel the thing smirk amusingly at her. It made the hairs on her arms stand up. Or was that just the cold weather?

"I need a favor of you. Well, more like a task. If you complete it, your husband and child get to live. If not... I think you can figure out the consequences."

Kira narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms in suspicion.

"What is it... ?" she asked warily, knowing deep down that she didn't want to know the answer.

The woman felt a shiver creep up her spine as she heard the "thing" in front of her chuckle grimly.

"We should at least be on a first name basis before I ask anything of you, right?" the figure asked, slinking closer to her. When Kira never answered, he cocked his head to the side and grunted. "You do not have the best manners in the world. Nevertheless, Demour is my name. And yours?"

"Forget it. I'm not telling you my name," Kira spat, recoiling from Demour's grasp as he reached out for her hand.

"Oh, but I already know your name, my dear. Kira, is it? Yes, your boy has such lovely eyes. They would look pretty amazing in the place of my old eyes, huh?"

"I don't trust you, Demour."

The figure simply laughed. "You are smart not to trust me. What if I give you reason to trust me?" Kira nodded her head slowly in agreement. Demour conjured a fire lily from thin air and watched as it fell to the ground.

"What does a fire lily have to do with anything?" Kira inquired, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Your husband told me it was his favorite flower," Demour calmly explained.

"Nobody knows that!"

"Exactly! How else would I know that if I do not have them in my grasp right now... ?"

Kira mulled over his words, closing her eyes tightly as she tried to decide what to do. This was her husband and child for Agni's sake! What was the worst that could happen?

Demour held out his hand to finish the agreement, and Kira warily reached forward to shake it. She pulled back right before her skin touched him.

A rumble sounded from low within Demour's being as his inky hand devoured hers.

A sharp pain erupted from where he touched her, as if a thousand needles were poking her skin all at once. She watched in stunned silence as dark-colored blood coated the skin of her arm and traveled its way up to her neck. Drip. Drip. It was hypnotic in a away, the blood dripping from her forearm and onto the white snow.

Kira couldn't move. She couldn't speak. She couldn't scream. All she could do was sit there and wait as she was engulfed by living darkness.

But then the pain stopped. She could breathe again. She could move again. Demour was nowhere to be found, and it wasn't until she saw Noatak and Noa trudging out of the brush of the woods and through the thick snow that she felt the wheels of sanity start turning again. All of it had been an hallucination, she had thought. They were safe, and that inky figure hadn't hurt them! And to think that she had almost made a contract with an imaginary monster.

Demour secretly watched as Noa ran to hug his mother, Noatak kissed Kira on the cheek, and stood there for a long moment even as the family retreated inside for a cup of tea.

He chuckled quietly to himself as he thought of how stubborn the woman was in the beginning. Of course, she didn't realize that the spreading of his blood sealed the contract to her fate.

The non-benders were worthy of his dimension after all, ignorance put completely aside.

* * *

"Mom," Asha whined, dragging her feet along the wet grass, "why are we at Republic City Park?"

Kisa rolled her eyes at her daughter.

"Because, Asha. This is where I go to think; and I'm positive you need a lot of thinking right now," Kisa explained as she plopped down under a large dragon blossom tree. The tree got that name because of how similar the flowers looked like dragon heads. Kisa patted a patch of wet grass next to her, and Asha warily sat down.

There was hardly anyone in the park that night; probably because it had just recently rained, and the grass was extremely wet. Asha had found out just how mucky it was when she sat down and the butt of her pants became soaked with water.

Asha had to admit that the place didn't feel the same without the Amon protestor screaming about Equalist rallies across the street. Of course, she also believed it was one time that freedom of speech should have been excepted.

She felt her mother squeeze her hand and looked up to see Kisa smiling into space.

"This is where your father proposed to me. Right under this tree, where you're sitting," the older mother whispered, shaking her head. "It's been so long, Ash."

"... I know."

"I just want you to be happy," Kisa choked out. Asha could see that her mother was struggling to hold back tears. "Just like I was when your father asked me to marry him."

The widow furrowed her eyebrows in concern.

"So you don't think I'm happy?" she inquired.

"I think you fake it," Kisa responded, sniffing. "You can fool everyone else, but you cannot fool your own mother."

An inky figured appeared, standing behind Asha.

"She's actually fooled you pretty well," Demour corrected. Kisa looked up at him, to which her daughter noticed. "Now get rid of the girl. I have some important information you will want to hear."

"... Mom? What are you looking at?" Asha asked, looking in the direction of her mother's gaze. She didn't see anything.

"Nothing, dear. Just - go back to your friends and take all of them with you back to your home."

"They can go?"

"Yeah. Just no parties."

"Mom," Asha complained as she stumbled to her feet, "I'm twenty years old."

"Just go before I change my mind!" Kisa snapped.

The young woman retreated from the dragon blossom tree and made her way in the direction of her friends. Kisa watched her leave, then turned her attention back to the inky figure of her ally.

"I have found another participant for your task," the leader proclaimed, a sense of pride in his husky voice. "Her name is Kira; very similar to yours, actually. She is the wife of Noatak, but you may know him as Amon."

Kisa gasped in disbelief. How could someone as... horrid as Amon have a wife?

"He isn't as bad as one might think," Demour responded, as if he had actually heard her thought just then.

"Never mind that. What I would love to know is why the woman is even helping me in the first place!"

Demour chuckled, as if she was a child who had said something stupidly obvious.

"Well, she is Amon's wife. Remember how bad he wanted rid of Avatar Korra... ?"

"So she would want rid of her, too!"

Demour simply smirked at Kisa's ignorance.

"Exactly! Which is why she has offered to help you kill the Avatar." The Councilman decided to dissolve into his human form for a little storytelling. It involved the noises of grinding teeth and nails on a chalkboard, following the connecting of bone and skin as his natural form literally melted away from his body.

It was the most sickening thing Kisa had ever seen.

"You know, Kisa," Demour started, sitting down beside the woman, "in my dimension, killing is a right that all shadows have..."

And then started the most awkward conversation she had ever been a part of.

* * *

"Okay, so I've invited half of Republic City to your party tomorrow," Ryu said to Asha, marking off a list of names written in his notepad.

Asha sighed dejectedly. "I... don't know about this."

"What? Why? It seems like it'll be fun," Ariadne shrugged.

The widow laughed. "Seriously? Could you guys see me partying with the richest people in Republic City?"

"And Team Avatar," Ryu added, lifting a finger.

"Yeah. And - wait, who's Team Avatar?" Asha questioned, scratching the back of her head in thought. She had heard that from somewhere. Was it the newspaper? The radio?

"You don't know Team Avatar?" Ryu gasped, wrenching back in his seat with an appalled look on his face. "It's Korra, Mako, Bolin and Asami Sato! How do you -"

"Ohhhhh! I know who you're talking about now!" Asha's knowing smile then turned into a hesitant frown. "Why did you invite them? Especially Mako?"

Kari walked in and leaned up against the counter to Asha's new kitchen. The space was huge. And modern. And expensive, like the rest of the house. Oh, it was huge.

"Even I know that there is no such thing as a party without the Avatar invited," Kari scoffed. She blew a stray hair out of her eyes, then furrowed her brow when it fell back and clouded her vision again.

The next day, Ryu had apparently been correct when he said he invited half of Republic City. Every five minutes, a knock would sound at the door and one of the teens - usually Ryu - would open it and invite in the party guests.

Asha hadn't realized how BIG her condo was until she had over four hundred people packed into the space. There were three bedrooms, two baths, a family room, a living room, and the kitchen. The rooms were shared between the first and second floor. Who the hell needed that much space, though?

Asha was pulled from her thoughts when Kari nudged her and grinned slyly between them and the direction of the door.

"What?" the non-bender laughed breezily.

"Your look-a-like lover is here," Kari said.

Asha groaned. "Ugh. It's awkward saying that. He's dating the Avatar."

"Don't tell me that you don't like him. Besides, my sister's a hot head. I don't know how any guy could put up with her. She'd lead them around on a leash." Asha laughed as Kari rolled her eyes when they saw Korra tug Mako by the scarf and drag him over to a couch.

"See," Kari sighed.

Mako wasn't so happy upon seeing Asha, either.

"_Why don't you go talk to Asha? Go talk to her. Go talk to her! Go. Talk. To. Her._" Hatsu had been saying it since before the door to her apartment had even opened.

"_No,_" Mako hissed. "_As you can see, I'm with my girlfriend._" Hatsu shrank back into Mako's mind and sulked. "O_h, don't even go there! If you wanna talk to her that much, figure out how to do it yourself_."

Time spent with Korra was short-lived as people with expensive-looking clothes and nice hair started to crowd around the couch where the couple was sitting.

"Avatar Korra, can I have your autograph?" a woman around Asha's age with dark, lustrous hair and caked-on makeup asked, digging a piece of paper and a pen out of her bag. "I'm a huge fan!" she gushed, handing over the objects.

Korra, having the big head that she did, said, "Of course you can, my loving fan. So, who do I write this to?"

"Mena," the woman responded, rocking back and forth on the balls on her feet.

Half an hour later and Korra was still signing autographs. And she was enjoying it!

Mako rolled his eyes and removed his arm from around the Avatar's shoulders. "I'm gonna get something to drink," he said, rising from his place on the couch. Korra just hummed in response as the pen she was holding glided across the paper. Was she writing a damn novel?

A man shoved the firebender out of the way and sat down in Mako's seat. The man immediately started talking to his girlfriend. And she laughed at something he said. The dark-headed boy walked away from the revolting scene and to the kitchen. Thank the spirits the condo didn't have an open layout and the kitchen was a closed, separate space from the rest of the home.

As he opened the door, he could hear faint jazz music coming from a radio somewhere in that kitchen. Asha sat atop the counter facing him, lazily drinking a glass of expensive fire wine. He could tell what it was by the bright red color that no other drink had. She lowered her head and traced her finger along the top of the glass, unaware of his presence.

"Hey," Mako said, deciding it would have been appropriate to start off with a short introduction.

The woman looked up and placed the glass beside her, then rubbed her naked arms as a chill passed through her. Mako noticed the skimpy dress she was wearing - much to his disbelief, and Hatsu's... excitement. Her outfit was bunched up to mid-thigh, and the one strap it had, had fallen off of her shoulder (he didn't know how she stood it); the dress had a deep red color, similar to blood. Mako surveyed her disheveled appearance more. The curls of her hair were messy and tangled, and the kohl smudged around her eyes made her look like a deer-raccoon caught in a pair of headlights.

Asha looked as if she'd had a rough night.

"Hey," she finally replied, lowering her head once more. There was a long, pregnant silence.

"_What the hell are you doing, Mako?_" Hatsu asked, mentally aching to be closer to her. "_Ask her what happened!_"

Mako ran a hand through his tousled hair. "_If she wanted me to know, she would tell me_," he countered.

"_Are you retarded? That's not how girls work!_" Hatsu laughed. "_Obviously you know nothing about women; they want you to act like you actually care about them. You have to be the one to ask what's wrong.._." Mako felt his presence turn wary. "_What kind of women have you been hanging around, anyways?_"

"_The Avatar, if that says anything._"

"_It explains a whole lot, as a matter of fact_."

Asha looked up at him dispiritedly through her eyelashes, then a faint smile showed on her lips when he sat down beside her.

"Ya know_,_" she said, sniffing, "I just got this island, so I would really mind if our fat asses broke it." They both started laughing quietly to themselves before Ash looked at Mako out of the corner of her eyes.

"This isn't as bad of a party that I thought it was going to be," Mako said.

Asha looked at the man beside her in awe. "Why is that, Mr. Hard-To-Please?"

"Well, I figured you'd be reserved."

"I'm guessing that this is about how I look right now?" Mako answered by shrugging his shoulders. "Listen," Asha sighed, "Hatsu's birthday was three days ago. I've been depressed about it and... I figured I'd just blow off a little steam."

"By partying?"

"Why not? I'm not gonna get drunk or anything; I'm too responsible. "

Mako frowned. "Let's take a walk."

A puzzled expression crossed the woman's features. "But what about Korra -"

"She's busy," he snapped. "I think we both need a break, anyways."

Asha complied, following Mako out of the building and down the road to... wherever. They both decided that they would know where to hang out when they saw it.

The woman laughed out of the silence of the night, causing the firebender beside her to give a start. "I look ridiculous!" she exclaimed, using the pads of her fingers to wipe at both eyes and the smudges below them. "You couldn't have at least let me clean up first?"

"You'll be fine. It's not like we'll see anybody we know, anyways; it's the middle of the night."

"Says you! You look really handsome."

"_What?_" Hatsu sputtered.

"What?" Mako asked, raising both eyebrows in surprise. "I think that fire whine has gotten to you..."

"No, no! I meant it as a compliment!" The two stared at each other in confusion, and eons passed before the two were comfortable enough to say anything.

"Let's just go," Mako told her, eyeing the widow carefully.

When she wrapped her arms around herself and hidden tears welled in her eyes, Hatsu seemed to have taken over all of Mako's rational thought. Sadness cut through his chest and all Mako wanted to do was reach out and comfort her. Tell her that it was okay. Hatsu was still alive. It took all of his willpower to fight against the spirit inside of him, but he managed by keeping a distance between the two as far as possible.

"If you didn't like me, you could have just said so," Asha mumbled through silent tears, looking at the ground below her.

"What are you talking about? I love you," Mako said. Well, Hatsu said, Mako was just the mouth piece.

Asha's head snapped up, her eyes wide and disturbed. "What?" she whispered, backing away from the firebender(s). "Why do you sound like Hatsu?"

"Because I am!" Hatsu replied. "It's me, just in Mako's body."

"Do you hear yourself, Hatsu?" Mako hissed, successfully wedging the spirit away long enough for him to squeeze through into his own mind.

"Mako," Asha started, breathing heavily. She was still backing away from him and onto the street. "What's going on?"

"It's very complicated," Demour interjected from his spot behind Asha. It made her jump and skid backwards, back onto the sidewalk. "I suggest you ask your mother. She was the one that came up with this idea after all."

"Liar!" Asha hissed, tears welling up in her eyes for the second time.

"No, that is one thing I'm not." Demour suddenly wrenched into a mass of dripping ink, before molding into a figure of her mother. "I just want you to be happy, my dear," her mother's voice echoed in her ears, the macabre smile working its way on "her" face.

Asha couldn't hold back the scream that rippled through her throat.

* * *

**A/N: Wow, this chapter is a pile of crap for having been in the process for over a month. But I've been depressed because of so many tragic events going on right now, and then school and yeah. I hope everyone understands why it took me so long. Also, I may add an extra chapter, just a filler, about death and mourning and stuff in honor of Kaitlyn by tonight or tomorrow. Read it, don't, either way, I wanna get it out. It may star a few of your favorite characters, too! Like, a set of one-shots? (Asha, of course, Zuko, Iroh, Mako and Bolin, etc.) I think it fits. If anyone wants to help, or send in something, feel free to by tomorrow! Use your own OC if you like.**

** Well, that's all the news I have. Talk to you Sunday after next? **


	8. IMPORTANT! Update (No, I'm not dead)

**A/N: Hey there! No, I'm not dead, but long time, no see. I just figured it was time I inform everyone that, YES, I will be continuing this story. I have not given up on it. But I've pretty much lost interest in LoK for now because of the lack of new content. (I get distracted and off-track easily. Not one of my best qualities.) **

**Shhh, no, it's okay. Do not cry. I WILL FINISH THIS. Once Season (or Book) 2 starts in a few months or whenever, I will start updating again. Because that will spark my interest again and give me something to work with. **

**Do you hate me, yet?**

**I don't blame you if you do. I feel terrible for not being able to write for this story, because I absolutely love it. **

**But just wait. Whenever I start writing again, you will be happy for the wait. **

**This story just started getting good.**

**Stay tuned, everyone! **

**Don't give up on me, yet.**

**Please...**


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